Operation: LIFE
by Arii-hime
Summary: #53. "There's snot all over your face. Classy as always, Polka."
1. Smackdown

[**Disclaimer:** I'm only gonna say it once. Okay? So listen up: I **_don't_** own Gakuen Alice. At all. Sometimes (okay, all the time) I wish I did, but I don't. And if I did, it wouldn't be as good. Assuming that it's still as good as ever, apparently I don't. This applies to all of my drabbles.]

* * *

**Operation: L.I.F.E.**

**(Live. Indulge. Feel Everything.)**

**Title:** Smackdown

**Inspiration:** [Blank] vs. [Blank]

**Dedication:** Bottoms up! {raises champagne glass} This is to all Gakuen Alice storymakers! My first drabble is to you!

**Spotlight:** Mikan and Natsume

**Genre:** Romance/Humor

* * *

Mikan and Natsume stared each other down.

They had been in that dangerously precarious position for the past...now thirty minutes, Koko silently mentioned as he checked his watch. Staring into auburn and crimson. An invisible laser was in the middle of them, holding the stare and making silent buzzing and crackling that only they could hear. It was almost frightening, because who knew when they were going to start up again? And this time it was going to be louder and even more insulting.

Well, that was just the way it was with them.

It was a good thing that they knew the truth, because anyone else would think it had always been this way. But they all knew how they loved each other, and how one would do anything for the other. How they cherished each other's company and presence. How they ran a deep course with each other.

Almost as if they could hear their thoughts, Mikan suddenly shouted:

"BARBECUE IS BETTER!!!"

"Yeah, right. Everyone likes spicy."

"But spicy HURTS!"

"Tch. You obviously have no taste buds, Polka dots."

"SHUT UP YOU SICKO!"

And frankly?

It was kind of funny to hear them argue about chicken.

* * *

_Tee hee. That's it._

_I know I said it was going to be long, but I sorta got lazy. Sorry. Maybe the next one'll be longer, if I have a better idea, and if I'm up to it. But usually I write much much much more than this, so it's a guarantee that the next one'll be longer and more interesting._

_Review?_  
_Be gentle. I'm sensitive. I've been doing this for awhile, but still._

_Love always,_

_~Ariisha-chan_


	2. What Is Love?

**Title:** What Is Love?

**Inspiration:** _Love is not simply a four-lettered word..._

**Dedication:** My li'l sis. Thanks for not making fun of me. You're the best. :3

**Spotlight:** Mikan and Natsume

**Genre:** Romance

* * *

What is love?

A simple word you just say?

A dream when you think you're in it?

Something you just have to make yourself feel good?

No.

Ask Mikan Sakura, she might say:

"Ummm...well...ahh...I don't really know..."

Ask Natsume Hyuuga, he might say:

"Tch. Why are you asking me? Go find out yourself."

A genius would think they're telling the truth. But, alas, it takes a true observational person to uncover the truth.

Love is...

Nobody really knows. But...

Mikan?

_Love is when you're happy to be yourself around the person you love. Love is when you tease and make fun of the person, but deep down you know the truth. Love is when despite the fact that you aren't alike, you still love the person for who they are. Love is when you protect the person, thinking of them and their safety first. To you, only their needs are what matters. Love is when you start out rough but slowly warm. Love is when despite the fact that there are people trying to tear you apart and bumps on the road, you know that your love for one another is strong enough to stay together until they pass. Love is when you do only what you know is best for the person, no matter what anyone else says. Love is when you'll stay true forever and never lie, never try to withdraw and hide yourself and only bring out the good and shed the sad. Love is when you don't care how they look or how they act, how you can pull away that facade to show who they truly are._

_Someone you'd do anything for._

_The kind of person you want to love._

_And you know it's true..._

_...when the first thing you say to them is, "I hate you!"

* * *

_

And Natsume?

_Love...is..._

_Okay, well, lemme start this off with the fact that love is not one of those things that you can just type in on Wikipedia and---bam!---you'll find the answers to all of your questions. No, it's not. So if you do think this, you need to really get a life._

_In order to find love, true love, not fake love when you think you love someone with all of your heart, you need to find someone you hate._

_When you do find someone you think you hate, all you have to do is really get to know them. Now, if they are a sadistic psychotic playboy, give up. Just give up now._

_But when you do, you have to get to know them. Because you never know. They could just be faking how they act and you'll find out the truth behind their actions. And no matter how many times they try to push you away, just keep on trying. Opposites attract. They have proof of that._

_And then a bit later, in your heart of hearts, you may just find out that you love them._

_Fighting, screaming and teasing is only natural. Don't think they're doing it because they hate you. They may just not be the mushy types that like to fawn over love, who swoon just thinking about finding someone to love and spending the rest of their lives with them. Not everyone is like that._

_But you know that it's true when all you think is that you'd do anything for them, yet you still say, "I hate you."

* * *

_

Spoken with true knowledge.

And basically, that's what love is.

And as Mikan tapped her ballpoint pen on the side of her head, she came to realize:

_I love Natsume Hyuuga._

And as Natsume sat reading his manga, he came to realize:

_I love Mikan Sakura._

But seriously, did it take that much to realize?

* * *

_La la la. I was in one of those moods when I wrote this. Since I made my first story funny, I wanted to make this one serious, even though it's laced with humor here and there. I also made it longer. Yay me!_

_Just asking, what is love? And they answer. That was the basic idea._

_Review?_

_Love always,_

_~Ariisha-chan_


	3. Chance

**Title:** Chance

**Inspiration:** _She gave you so many chances and yet you blew them all..._

**Dedication:** This one goes out to you, foxtrotelly! :3 Your kind words went a long way for me.

**Spotlight:** Mikan and Natsume

**Genre:** Hurt/Comfort

* * *

She'd always been like that.

Sticking around, even when you'd push her away.

Even when you'd call her names, yell at her, throw as many snide remarks and heart-wrenching insults as your quick, sharp-witted mind could come up with in a matter of milliseconds, she'd just retort, and stay.

Mikan Sakura was different from the rest.

And to think, you'd wished she could drop dead the minute she stepped foot into that classroom on that day. To think you'd hated her because she was bouncy, cheerful, optimistic, always smiling despite of what was happening, and annoying---the latter being one that you still hated. She was pokey, prodey, and altogether a pain.

To think how a few years could change all of that.

You can't replace that smile with anyone else, anything else. Just to see her run at you, calling your name in that special way, makes your day at least ten times better. Just to be able to have someone like her next to you each day has you thanking God.

But you pretended not to care.

She gave you chances.

You ignored them all.

They say you don't know what you have until you lose it. You took her kindness for granted.

She asked if you were her friend. You said no.

She asked why you were so mean. You said it was because she was a nuisance.

She asked if you loved her.

You didn't respond.

Eventually she'd run out of patience. The day would come when she'd get sick of you always calling her names, yelling at her, throwing insults at her any chance you got. You took that for granted, too. And now she's gone.

And there's not a single thing you can do about it.

Maybe if you had treated her better, she would have stayed. Just telling her that you loved her may have done the trick. But you didn't. Now it was too late to do any of that. In that time span---so many years---you had at least a million chances in between to tell her. Anything. But you didn't. And in the matter of seconds that it took her to leave, you had at least a million chances there to say something to make her stay. Anything. But you didn't.

You had so many chances.

Way too many.

And you wasted them all.

* * *

_God, this made me so sad when I was writing. I hate writing sad stories about them. But I have to force myself to, cuz I gotta be fair._

_Umm, also I noticed that this wasn't a good dedication. Cuz I thought that what foxtrotelly did was nice, but this kinda WASN'T. But I hope she understands. :D_

_Also, I happen to notice that I have been making a lot of MikanXNatsume stories. I'll make the next one SumireXKoko, to balance that out. XD  
_

_Review?_

_Love always,_

_~Ariisha-chan_


	4. One Man Down

**Title:** One Man Down

**Inspiration:** Friendship goes a _long_ way...

**Dedication:** ChicCuteness! This one goes to...YOU!

**Spotlight:** Sumire and Koko

**Genre:** Romance/Humor/Friendship

* * *

"A water gun fight?"

Sumire wrinkled her nose. She hated water. Being part cat and dog, but mostly cat, getting wet was number one on the list of things she hated.

"Sure. Why not? It's really hot out here, anyway." Couldn't they do something else?

Mikan clapped her hands and giggled. "Yeah! Who else do you think would want to join?"

Koko looked thoughtful. "I'll call Kitsumene and see if he wants to," he said, pulling out his cellphone and dialing Kitsumene's number.

"Great!" Mikan turned to Natsume. "Can you call Ruka and Mochu? See if they want to, too?"

"...Hn." Natsume pulled out his cellphone.

"And I'll call Hotaru, Anna and Nonoko!" Mikan announced, pulling out her cellphone as well.

Sumire didn't say anything as her friends were busy calling up other friends to join them in their game. Koko silently noted this. He knew Sumire wasn't a quiet one.

In fact, everyone knew that.

When all of their friends gathered, Koko said, "Now we'll pick teams."

"Who's gonna be team captain?"

"Oooh! Me! Me! I wanna be captain!"

In the end, Natsume was captain of the red team and Koko was captain of the blue team. Here's who was on who's team:

**Red Team**

Natsume

Mikan

Anna

Ruka

Mochu

**Blue Team**

Koko

Hotaru

Sumire

Nonoko

Kitsumene

"Yay! I'm on Natsume's team!" Mikan ran to Natsume's side. The moron seemed to have forgotten that the captain gets to pick their teammates...

Then the water guns were distributed, and the game began.

Sumire hid behind a tree, mainly because she wasn't about to get wet. The park was empty. Everyone was hiding, probably waiting for some poor fool to run out into the open to light 'em up. Sumire looked up. Kitsumene was flying in the air, over the entire park. Luckily he was on their team, otherwise they all would have been being pounded with water a _long_ time ago.

Then she heard a rustling, and a "CHAAAAAAAAAAAARGE!!!" and the minute she turned around she was drinking a gallon of water.

Sumire fell to her knees coughing. She looked up. Mikan was standing over her with a big dumb smile on her face. "Got ya!" she laughed.

Sumire popped at least fifty veins. She picked up her water gun---and let's just say that Mikan took at least a _ton_ of water to the face.

"Hmmph!" Sumire turned away from Mikan's corpse---yes, _corpse_---and flounced out into the open as Natsume ran by.

She was instantly dumbfounded. Natsume looked so good, dripping with water from previous encounters, running full speed. His wet shirt stuck to him, perfectly portraying his figure, his face was hard with concentration and his muscles were rippling---oh, god. Sumire could instantly feel the blood building up in her nostrils.

Oh, mamma mia, did he made looking beautiful a _sin_---

And as it was, as she was using Natsume for eye-candy, she had been frozen like a statue. And Koko, noticing, walked over and sprayed Sumire right in the back of the head.

Sumire turned around shrieking. "What was that for, moron?!" she yelled. "If you didn't notice, we're on the same team!" She took in Koko's stupid grin. "WELL?!"

"Staring at Natsume again, eh?" He shook his head. "If you're so worried about getting splashed with something you hate the most, you shouldn't eat your eye-candy out in the open."

Sumire took in her surroundings. "Well, so?!" she screeched, trying to hide the hot blush creeping up the back of her neck. She swore in her mind, this boy could get her _so_ angry...

"Sorry." He grinned sheepishly. "I mean, you just looked so stupid I had to get your attention. What are best friends for, eh?"

"Yeah. What are they for?" Sumire muttered under her breath acerbically.

Suddenly it seemed like the entire population of the red team was jumping out and spraying them both, full power (that includes Mikan, whom we originally thought was being dead). Koko fell down, and Kitsumene up in the air screamed, "Man down! Man down! Man down!"

_Why am I on a team full of CLOWNS?_ Sumire thought as she stood clenching her fists, dripping wet. Oh, she was going to kill every single person on the red team...

After successfully managing to scare everyone off, she screeched, "Where did the rest of the team go?"

* * *

Hotaru?

"I have better things to do than sit and throw water on people," she muttered as she sat in a tree, safely hidden from view. She opened her laptop. "Now, let's see. Sales have been going well; I should get some more of these photos.."

Nonoko?

"Hotaru-chan? Are you sure it's okay that we ran out on them like that?" Nonoko asked nervously, twiddling her thumbs.

"Do you want to go drown in a puddle?"

* * *

_Those lying dipwads,_ Sumire thought as she turned back around to Kitsumene's shrieking, "Someone perform CPR!"

He was freaking faking it. Anyone would be able to see that. Sumire glared at Kitsumene. "If I do it, will you shut up?" she snapped.

Sumire bent down slowly. _I should just go along with this,_ she thought. _I won't even do it---_

Koko pulled her down into a deep kiss.

* * *

_Finally, it's done!!! Sorry if it's incredibly dull. I was trying to incorporate everyone in the story, and I failed miserably. Also there are still some hintings of Mikan and Natsume. Sad attempt at trying to shift the viewpoint and at making it SumireXKoko. Ha ha. I'll try harder next time, cuz this one wasn't as good as I wished it to be. But I made it LONGER! Yay me!_

_Review?_

_~Ariisha-chan_


	5. A LoveHate Relationship

**Title:** A Love/Hate Relationship

**Inspiration:** _Hating and loving someone...it's frustrating._

**Dedication:** All of you RukaRu fans out there...here ya go!

**Spotlight:** Hotaru and Ruka

**Genre:** Romance/Humor

* * *

Ruka wanted to know if Hotaru loved him.

It was confusing when you had a girl you couldn't read. It was even more confusing when you had a girl you couldn't read who kept herself reserved. That's what Hotaru was like. Reserved. Even worse was she was greedy and had a tongue sharp as a knife. And she was always blackmailing him. Yet lately he was getting this sort of vibe from her. A weird...vibe. He couldn't quite explain it. But it was a strong one.

Kind of like when you have your phone on vibrate in class and the teacher can't see it, and the teacher calls you up to do a problem on the board and right in the middle of the problem it starts vibrating loudly. Like that.

Weird metaphor. But it was the best he could come up with, because he just couldn't explain Hotaru.

So one day he cornered her in the hallway.

"Imai..." he started. He decided to say it all in a rush, just to get it over with. But Hotaru hit him with her Baka Gun first.

_Baka baka baka_

"Don't get all up on me like you know me, Nogi," she said coldly, pointing the Baka Gun at his figure sprawled out on the floor. "Do you want me to put a five-feet restraining order against you?"

Knowing her, it was possible.

"I...I want to ask you something, Imai..." Ruka stammered, a blush creeping up his face. He stood up and looked Hotaru in the face, who looked incredibly bored.

"Spit it out before I punch you with my Deer Hoof," Hotaru threatened.

"Okay." Ruka took a deep breath and said in a rush, "Doyoulovemeyesorno?"

Hotaru raised her eyebrow. "Excuse me?"

"I said..." Ruka coughed and stared at his feet as he said slowly, "Do you...love me? Yes...or...no?"

Hotaru looked a bit surprised. Then she smirked. Ruka fully expected her to blow him away with her Baka Cannon, but what she did instead was even more shocking.

She leaned in and kissed him.

"Did that tell you the answer?" she asked, smirking.

Then she walked away.

* * *

_Ha ha. This one's short. I made it short so I could get on to my next one quickly, which'll be much longer. And funnier. And better. ;)_

_Review?_

_~Ariisha-chan_


	6. Creative Adoxography

**Title:** Creative Adoxography

**Inspiration:** "Just write _anything_!"

**Dedication:** I've Perfected Imperfection...this one's for you. Thanks for reviewing my other fic. :)

**Spotlight:** Everyone

**Genre:** Humor

* * *

Narumi skipped into the room. "Hello, children!" he chirped. Everyone groaned.

"Now, now, children. I know I look gorgeous. No need to kick up a fuss about it."

Silence.

The crickets were deafening.

"Okay, children. We're going to do some creative writing today. We are going to write poems!" Narumi clapped his hands.

Silence.

...

.....

.......

"POEMS SUCK!"

.......

.....

...

"The poem can be on any topic. I'll give you thirty minutes. Have fun!" And Narumi turned around and left. A second later everyone heard the lock click.

"That crazy sadistic pervert...what kind of idea is this?" Natsume muttered, staring at the door.

"NOT EVERYONE IS GAY, NARUMI!" Koko screamed at the door.

Mikan chewed on the end of her pen. "I've got nothing," she finally announced.

"We all figured that, idiot."

"HOTARU!"

* * *

Thirty minutes later...

* * *

The door unlocked and Narumi strolled in.

"All done, class?" Narumi said cheerfully. He looked around and saw everyone clustered at one end of the room, looking like they were scheming. Now they all swivelled around at the same time like deer at the headlights.

"All right, back to your seats. Who's going first?" Everyone shuffled back to their seats. Koko raised his hand. "Koko?"

Koko walked to the front of the room. "This is a haiku." He read:

_One, two, three, four, five,_

_That's five. Now here are seven._

_And now five. I'm done._

Silence.

Then Mochu began to clap slowly. And everyone else began to clap afterwards.

"Great job, Koko!" Narumi said as Koko went back to his seat sullenly. "Who's going next?"

Anna went next, and read a poem about happiness, which everyone liked. "Anna-chan is a very good poet!" Mikan encouraged as Anna went back to her seat beaming.

Then Mochu went, and read a horrible poem that everyone tuned out until the end, and then they didn't clap.

Afterwards Nonoko went, then Kitsumene, then Sumire...basically everyone went except Mikan, who was finishing up her poem, and Natsume, who didn't write a poem at all.

"Natsume?" Natsume hated hearing that voice say his name.

Mikan threw her pen down. "Finished!" she exclaimed happily. Everyone looked at her.

"Me and Natsume worked together on a poem, so that's why he didn't write one." Mikan sent Natsume a _you owe me, boy_ look. He scowled at her. Her poem was retarded, and he did not want that gay man to think that he took part in that. She skipped to the front of the room and began to read her poem:

_This is a random poem._

_It makes no sense._

_Hotaru is my best friend._

_She hit me with a fence._

_Natsume calls me Polka Dots._

_I hate his guts for it._

_He burns my hair_

_And I forget to nullify it._

_I hate creative writing because I suck at it._

_Which is why this poem isn't good._

_If we had a different, ahem, thing to write about it'd be better._

_It would sound the way it should._

_I'm going to end this poem with a few words:_

_I love Howalon, it's a must._

_And Narumi? One more thing to you,_

_Why did you give this stupid writing assignment to us?_

_

* * *

Hee hee. That was so dumb. Especially Mikan's poem. I was desperate. And I had to make it sound stupid. Oh well. The next one will make more sense._

_Review?_

_~Ariisha-chan_


	7. Agathokakological, Alexithymia and More

**Title:** Agathokakological, Alexithymia and More

**Inspiration:** Found a site with some interesting words on it that pertain to many people at the Academy...

**Dedication:** This one's for blackcat9517...thanks for responding to my reviews!

**Spotlight:** Mikan, Natsume, Hotaru, Ruka, Sumire and Koko

**Genre:** Humor

* * *

"Why did Narumi have to give us this list of words and tell us to define them?" Mikan held the list out in front of her. "Half of these words don't make sense!"

" 'Agathokakological'," Koko read. "Sounds made up."

Sumire opened the dictionary. " 'Agathokakological: made up of good and evil'," she read out loud.

Koko pointed at Natsume. "Natsume's agathokakological," he said.

Natsume glared at him. "Want me to burn you?" he threatened.

Mikan wrote the definition down. "Okay, what's the next one?"

Koko took the list. " 'Homodoxian'."

" 'A person who has the same opinion as you'," Sumire read.

"You mean like we all think Narumi is the ultimate gay king?" Mikan asked.

"Yeah."

" 'Alexithymia'."

" 'Inability to describe emotions in a verbal manner'." Sumire read.

"Natsume's also alexithymatic," Mikan murmured. Natsume shot her a death glare.

" 'Fortuitous'."

" 'An accident'."

"Mikan was fortuitous," Natsume muttered.

"I HEARD THAT YOU AGATOKAKOTHOLAGICOL ALEXYMATIC KID!!!"

"You said it wrong, dummy."

Mikan popped a vein but didn't respond.

" 'Foment'."

" 'To instigate or foster discord or rebellion'."

"Well, everyone does that," Mikan said, looking from Hotaru to Koko to Natsume in an assuming manner.

" 'Expurgate'."

" ' To edit out rude, incorrect, offensive, useless or otherwise undesirable information'."

"Oh, I know a lot of things that we need to expurgate in this room right now," Hotaru muttered, opening her laptop. "A _lot_ of things."

Everyone sweatdropped except for Natsume.

"There's only a few more words left," Koko announced. "Just...three."

"Okay. What's the first?"

" 'Ennui'."

" 'Boredom'."

"That's what this assignment is bringing," Ruka whispered to himself.

"Got it. Second?"

" 'Detente'."

"'The relaxing of tensions between rivals'."

_There's NO detente in here..._

"Finally, we're done. What's the last word?"

Koko stared at the list as if it had a picture of Narumi in a swimsuit on it.

"Koko?"

"This is the freakiest word I have ever seen." Koko showed them the list, and they all read the word way at the bottom:

_Floccinaucinihilipilification._

...

...

...

WHAT THE FREAK?

"Uhhh..." Mikan stared at the list.

"Well...they have it in the dictionary..." Sumire read the definition: " 'The concept that something is worthless'."

...

Silence.

...

"Like this assignment?"

"Yeah."

And they all stood up and left.

* * *

_This one was better. I like this one. XD_

_I got the definitions from a certain site I cannot name, but the definitions aren't mine. I saw the site when I was trying to find some interesting words for my previous fanfics. And then I thought, "You know, I could make a pointless fanfic with this," and pounced on the opportunity. XD Hope you liked it._

_Review?_

_~Ariisha-chan_


	8. Twelve O' Clock, Midnight: Room 1

**Title:** Twelve O' Clock, Midnight: Room 1

**Inspiration:** _In the darkness..._

**Dedication:** Anyone who's ever been in a situation like this. Rofl.

**Spotlight:** Mikan and Natsume

**Genre:** Humor

* * *

"Are you trying to cut off the circulation from my arm?"

"But Natsume!! I could have sworn that I saw ONE."

"Tch. You probably looked in a mirror."

"Natsume!!!"

They continued on.

"This place is so creepy! I hate it down here. I should have just stayed upstairs, where there's light...and happiness...and stuff like that..."

"You're lucky I even came down here with you."

"It wasn't my fault! Koko told me that they had a secret supply of howalon down here! He even told me which room it was in! KOKO WOULD NOT LIE TO ME."

"Which perfectly explains why it's in the basement, which there's no light in, and he locked the door the minute you set foot in here."

"You came in too!"

"Correction: I was shoved in, tripping over your stupid self who was in a heap on the floor, and falling down the stairs."

"Accidents happen! And I fell too!!"

"The bottom line is, you're too gullible, Polka."

"Ne, Natsume! You're so mean!"

The basement was pitch black, which was only helping Mikan's clumsiness. Twice she had tripped over Natsume's foot. Three times she had tripped over her own.

"Why is the basement so big?" she complained. "There's probably all sorts of...NATSUME!!!"

"What now, Polka?"

"You're not even paying attention!! Something could come snatch me up and you wouldn't even notice!"

"In that case it wouldn't benefit. You probably taste horrible."

"...?" Mikan licked her hand.

"Never mind, stupid." Natsume looked away.

It was silent for a little while. Then Mikan shrieked, "EEEEEEEEEP!!! There goes another one!"

"You mean another microscopic dust particle?"

"...I knew that."

After a little bit more wandering, Mikan (yet again) shrieked, "EEEEEEEEEP!!!! There goes another one! This time I'm sure of it!"

"You mean that inanimate box sitting there?"

"...I knew that, too. You know, this wouldn't be as difficult as it has to be if you'd just use some of your freaking fire to light up the place."

"I don't waste my Alice when I don't have to."

"But it's pitch black down here! You're just being petty!"

"Want me to leave you here and go myself?" he threatened.

"..."

"I thought so."

All of a sudden Mikan turned white, almost as if someone had personally taken it upon themselves to stab her in the stomach with a fence post. You wouldn't have been able to tell in the dark, but Natsume felt her stop and stiffen, and her skin grew cold.

"Oi. What're you freezing about now, Polka?" Natsume asked.

"M-m-m-m-m-m---"

"Spit it out, dummy."

"MICE!!!" she shrieked, then proceeded to do a hop-jump-skip dance in a full circle. "DIRTY, DISGUSTING, RABIES-CARRYING MICE!!!!!!!!!!!! GET THEM OFF ME!! GET THEM OFF ME!!!" And now that she mentioned it, Natsume did feel something brushing up against his leg. He lit a small flame and looked, and saw that...

"You moron. It's just a curtain."

"Eh?" Mikan looked down. "...Oh."

Then she thought for a bit. "But what's a curtain doing in a basement? Basements don't have windows."

"Well, standing here isn't gonna make the answer fall down from the ceiling."

"Oh, shut up," she pouted as she pulled the curtain aside to reveal...

...More rooms.

...

"We're gonna be here all night, aren't we?"

"Looks like it."

* * *

_Hope you enjoyed this one. I made it longer and added some humor. :D_

_Review?_

_~Ariisha-chan_


	9. Short and Sweet

**Title:** Short and Sweet

**Inspiration:** _A short love note, sweet as sugar, is all that it takes._

**Spotlight:** Mikan and Natsume

**Genre:** Romance

* * *

"All you have to do is write a note," Narumi explained to the class. "Make it simple---short and sweet is the note we're trying to hit!"

Mikan chewed the end of her pen like it was nobody's business. She was clueless.

What was up with Narumi, anyways? Giving them random assignments. Next thing you know he was going to be telling them to lock themselves in the school basement with someone they love the most. Mikan shuddered just thinking about it.

"It can be addressed to anyone," he said as if he expected them to take it upon themselves, motivated by some crazy idea, to write him a love note of all the reasons why he was so beautiful, fabulous and the best homeroom teacher anyone could have. The only notes he were going to be getting were death threats, hate notes, etc., and the only reason he was the best homeroom teacher ever was because he was almost always absent, meaning that most of the time they were left unattended.

But when he was there, he made their lives not even worth living.

Natsume watched Mikan from the corner of his eye. He pretended to read his manga as he secretly watched Mikan scratch her head, write something down, cross it out, write something else down, then give up entirely and tear the note into tiny pieces.

_If that dense moron gives any other guy a note, I'm going to murder him, no holds-barred,_ he thought.

A few minutes later, Narumi said, "Okay, time's up! Now put your notes in this basket and I'll pass them out!" Everyone (except Natsume, he didn't write one) shuffled to the front of the room and dropped their notes in the basket, and Narumi passed them out.

Mikan got at least fifty notes (_Looks like there are gonna be fifty unsolved murders,_ Natsume thought) and Ruka got at least seventy. Natsume got nearly one thousand (mostly fangirls) while Hotaru held the record of almost _one million_. The max anyone else had gotten was at least ten or twenty. "Looks like Hotaru has a lot of secret admirers," Mikan whispered, just to get Ruka peeved. And he was, as he glowered at the pile at Hotaru's seat with Hotaru gloating in the middle of it.

Natsume went through his pile. _Good fuel for the fireplace,_ he thought with disdain as he sifted through the notes. He was just about to do away with them all when one at the bottom caught his eye. It was small and written on pink paper with the decoration of a strawberry in the corner. It had the light scent of strawberries on it, too. He pulled it out and opened it. It read:

_Love you, perverted fox._

_Mikan_

He read the note over again and again. Slowly a smile formed on his face.

Suddenly Mikan poked him in the arm. "Natsume, Narumi-sensei's mourning because everyone sent him hate-me notes." She took in his appearance. "Ne, Natsume. What's so funny?"

He shrugged.

"Just feeling content."

* * *

Mikan woke up to feel something fluttering on her face late at night. "SPIDER!!!" she shrieked, jumping up and brushing her face quickly. The object in question drifted to the floor. She picked it up.

A note. Folded up really small. She opened it. It read:

_I love you, too, Polka. And don't you dare forget it._

The note wasn't signed. But it didn't have to be signed for Mikan to know who it was from. She raced to the window and threw it open. Sure enough, there was a dark silhoutte walking opposite from her. She smiled and hollered:

"MY NAME ISN'T POLKA, PERVERTED FOX!"

* * *

_Nice and randomly cute. Just the way I enjoy writing it. :)_  
_I have noticed that I have been making a LOT of MikanXNatsume stories. Too many, maybe. But for me, you can never have too much cuteness. XD And they are definitely cute. I might as well have made them all MikanXNatsume, but I know that's not the only thing I'll be writing._

_Review?_  
_Thanks for reading._

_~Ariisha-chan_


	10. Apologize For the Tardiness

**Title:** Apologize For the Tardiness

**Inspiration:** _It was too late. He was gone. And so was she. She was done._

**Dedication:** All you bittersweet GAFFN writers out there...keep on writin' that bittersweet stuff. Props to you.

**Spotlight:** Mikan and Natsume

**Genre:** Hurt/Comfort/Angst

* * *

It was _over_.

Mikan Sakura was sick and tired.

Of everything.

_Everything._

She fell to her knees and looked up desperately at the faces surrounding her. The Elementary School Principal, the Middle School Principal, Shiki, and...Yuka Azumi. She had the look of pain in her eyes, though her mouth was set hard as she stared at her daughter. That was the warmest look that reached her, two being cold and lifeless and the third a victorious smirk.

"Are you...are you serious?" Mikan whispered, on the brink of hysterics. She couldn't believe the words that reached her ears. She _didn't_ believe them. Who knew that two simple words could twist her stomach into a knot, wrench her heart out of her chest and distort her world in an instant?

The confirmation nod only worsened it.

"He...he's dead?" She was still whispering, a little hiss of disbelief. If she had tried for a higher volume it would have came out as a scream.

He was dead.

He was gone.

He wasn't coming back.

"It was inevitable. He was doing too much at a time, too many missions. All for your sake." It was almost as if the Elementary School Principal was saying, _He had it coming._ He had it coming because of _her_. He was doing it all for her. And she had been oblivious and stupid the whole time. When she knew how he felt. She had tried to ask him about it and offer her assistance, but all he said was, "Oi. I don't need your help. I'm fine on my own."

Why, why, _why_ didn't she keep on trying?

It had been a cry for help. She hadn't realized at the time, but now as she had a flashback of his face in her mind, she heard his scathing words but saw his eyes, which were far from the word. His eyes were sad, dull, pleading with her to go with him this one time. Screaming for help. Drowning in pain. The only bad part about seeing those eyes now was that she knew she couldn't do anything to soothe them, to light them up. And she could never see or do anything for them again.

All of a sudden her mouth opened and began to make words. "No. He can't be dead. He can't!" Her voice rose. "Did he not come back from the mission?" she questioned. Not waiting for an answer, she said, "There could still be hope!" She was reassuring herself as much as she was them.

"That's not the case."

The cold voice sliced through the tense air like a knife.

Yuka spoke up, her voice like stone. "We found him outside, underneath the Sakura tree," was all she said.

Mikan's eyes widened.

"We tried to save him. Took him to Subaru. But it was too late." It seemed like the Middle School Principal took a special delight in saying those words.

She was still grasping the fact of exactly where. Under the Sakura tree...the freaking _Sakura_ tree! That stupid freaking _Sakura_ tree! Resent filled her soul, overflowing to start the makings of tears in her eyes.

And she had planned on going there that morning! Waiting for him to come back, because normally he would stop by there if he came back in the morning. If she had've been there...! If she had've known...! She could have saved him. He would still be alive. He would be holding her right now and telling her that it was okay, and brushing her tears away. She wouldn't even be in this room right now. She would be somewhere else, somewhere far away, doing something else.

An even worse thought struck her like lightning: he could have been waiting for her! He could have been waiting for her to come so she could help him. And she never knew! She had went on like, _la la la, everything's fine and dandy_, not even knowing that he had been outside waiting for her. He would have waited till the end of time if he could have. And she still wouldn't have come!!!

And he sat out there anyway, his life slowly pouring out of him, waiting, waiting, waiting.

She _let_ him _down_.

Before she knew what she was doing, she jumped up and raced out of the room, the tears nearly blinding her. She ran down the hallways as fast as she could, ignoring the shrieks in the background.

He would never look into her eyes again.

He would never comfort her again.

He would never correct her when she made mistakes. He would never tell her she was stupid---in a playful way. He would never give her that look like she was the only thing that mattered to him. He wouldn't do any of those things---because he wasn't coming back. She wouldn't feel the warmth of his body, the sincerity of his reassurances, his lips against hers in a scorching kiss. Nothing.

_Everybody can just drop dead!_

She ran out the doors into the warm sunshine, the contrary of her mood. She soon skidded to a stop at the Sakura tree and collapsed into a heap on the ground, too grief-stricken to do anything else.

_So this is where he breathed his last breath..._

She swore she could still feel his warmth on the ground.

And to think he had tried to stay alive for her sake, not for his own, made the tears run out of her eyes like waterfalls.

As she sobbed, her attention was caught to something on the bottom of the tree. She moved closer. It was a little blood splatter. Barely noticeable. But Mikan noticed it very well, and she already knew...

Looking around frantically, she saw a tiny stick. After a few unsuccessful tries, she managed to nick her thumb. As it bled she pressed it to the trunk, on top of the splatter.

"It's a blood oath," she choked out, looking up into the branches on the tree. "I mean it, Natsume. Don't you dare leave this tree, because I will always be here, and that's a promise...one I plan to keep. I will always be here, so whatever you do, don't leave me." Her voice shook. "Please. Because..." She dropped her head in her hands as hard sobs racked her body. Because...

Mikan Sakura didn't have a life without Natsume Hyuuga by her side.

She was nothing.

She couldn't apologize for being late, but she could just quit.

So Mikan Sakura was _done_.

Mikan Sakura was _through_.

Mikan Sakura was _finished_.

* * *

_Gosh, I haven't updated for a long time. XD I'm gonna have to get to that. And the title has a little link to the story, just not enough._

_Bitter and dramatic. Not so good with the second element. I don't really do drama a lot. So this wasn't that good. It wasn't really that bitter. But I still think it's pretty decent._

_Click on that green button down there. Go on, smash it real hard. You know you want to._

_Thanks for reading._

_~Ariisha-chan_


	11. Hit the Keys, He's Dead, Man

**Title:** Hit the Keys, He's Dead, Man

**Inspiration:** _The thin string that connects the screen to reality..._

**Spotlight:** Mikan and Natsume

**Genre:** Humor

* * *

"What the---"

"Yeah, I killed him," Natsume snarled, staring at Mikan directly in her eyes, making her fidget. "What're you gonna do about it?"

"But it wasn't _fair_! You never gave him a _chance_!"

"Not like he was doing anything, anyway," Natsume snorted. "He was just a pawn on the playing field. There's plenty more where that came from, isn't there?"

Mikan dropped her head. "It still wasn't fair," she mumbled.

"Life's not fair," he said, turning away from her. "Get used to it."

A few minutes later, it was over.

"Huh," Natsume said with a smirk. "I win."

Mikan stood up and threw the controller down. "I am never playing _Unreal Tournament_ with you ever again!" she screamed and stormed out of the room.

* * *

_Extremely short and random, I know. I wanted to just write this to get it off my chest, because I came up with the idea while I was thinking about video games XD_

_To explain what happened: it was multiplayer mode, where two teams go against each other. Opposing teams. What they were arguing about: apparently Natsume killed one of Mikan's "pawns" before it could even get a crack at killing him. And to make a long story short: Natsume pwned Mikan XD_

_Review?_

_~Ariisha-chan_


	12. Some Things Aren't Meant To Be Known

**Title:** Some Things Aren't Meant To Be Known

**Inspiration:** _The potentially nosy people will end up finding some potentially disturbing information._

**Spotlight:** Everyone, but mostly Koko

**Genre:** Humor

* * *

It was _the day_.

One of the most hated days at Gakuen Alice.

It was the day when Koko came in and decided to read everyone within his range's mind.

This day had been carefully marked on everyone's calendar, circled with a redder than red marker. One thing everyone loved was privacy. Which was one thing that you _weren't_ going to get at Gakuen Alice. Koko seemed to worship this knowledge. And he absolutely loved to voice anyone's---even JINNO-SENSEI'S---innermost thoughts.

Now, there wasn't always a negative outcome. No, not always. Sometimes it had a great outcome. Such as the time when he read Mikan's mind when she happened to be dreaming about how good Natsume looked with no shirt and a pair of jeans. Natsume had simply smirked, and...

It would be mentioning the unmentionable to say what happened next.

But most of the time it had a really really bad outcome. If you kept a record of how many times someone's been punched through a wall or thrown out a window or blackmailed to infinity or literally burned at the stake for how many times Koko decided to read someone's mind, there would be no more paper left on earth.

Which was why it was an essential and a necessary precaution for everyone to have their guard up when this day came. Though knowing Koko, he'd find out one way or another, whether you're wrapped up tight in your blankets at night in your bed or locked in a steel jail cell.

So when Koko walked in that day, everyone looked away as quickly as possible, and instantly put up a steel barrier in their thoughts, focusing their minds on one object.

But Koko didn't do anything. He simply walked to his seat and sat down.

Soon Jinno-sensei came in and it was Math. As Jinno-sensei was explaining an algebraic problem on the board, out of the blue a voice said:

"_Boy, I can't wait till this period is over so I can go listen to 'Mad' in the teacher's lounge._"

It was said in a gruff tone. And it could easily have been a student's thought---except none of the students had access to the teacher's lounge.

Everyone's heads snapped up to look at Jinno-sensei, who had turned around and was now as red as a tomato.

"Kokoroyomi!" he yelled. "Keep your opinions to yourself!"

"_Darn that boy...always having to read someone's mind! I won't listen to 'Mad'! I'll listen to 'Since U Been Gone' instead! I---oh!_"

"Kokoroyomi, if you don't stop reading people's minds, I'll give you detention!" There was a light staticky feel in the air.

Koko turned his head and looked at Hotaru. "_Money, money, money---get out of my head, Koko---money, money, money._"

He looked at Ruka. "_I'm worried about Piyo...he hasn't been found and returned to his stall yet at the Middle School Divison. Nobody's seen him in the forest yet, either. I guess I'll have to go look for him, because I'm scared that he got caught or eaten or something._"

This caused quite an uproar, especially in regards to Hotaru, who had her recorder out and a "_I'm-gonna-make-some-money_" look on her face. "Who knew, Ruka's in love with Piyo," she said, causing Ruka to blush crimson.

During this time, Koko turned to Natsume, who was looking bored. "_If you don't stop reading my mind, Koko, I'm going to slowly rip you apart, limb by limb._"

Well, he sure stopped reading his mind in an instant.

Koko looked at Mikan, who looked like she was concentrating too hard. "_Howalon, howalon, howalon, howalon, howalon---ooh, you know what? Natsume tastes better than howalon, except he won't let me taste him all the time because---HOLY CRAP! KOKO, STOP READING MY MIND, DANGIT!!!_"

But it was too late. Everyone heard.

Sumire pointed at Mikan. "You've tasted Natsume-sama?! You bit him?! You horrible little girl!" Sumire made a horrified face. "I feel for Natsume-sama!"

Natsume had a "_WTF?_" look on his face.

Hotaru had her recorder yet again---and everyone already figured she was going to make a little more than a million today.

In fact, she was the _only_ one who looked _forward_ to this day.

While Jinno-sensei was trying to regain control of the class again, Koko walked out of the classroom and ran into Serina-sensei in the hallway. Before Serina-sensei could even say anything:

"_Boy, that Jinno needs to shove it where it hurts._"

Serina glared at Koko, and Koko ran away, not wanting to ensue Serina-sensei's wrath.

Which was when he ran into Narumi.

_This ought to be fun,_ Koko thought as he read Narumi's mind:

"_If Koko does not stop reading my mind right now, I shall take his boxers off and use my Human Pheromone Alice on him to make him do my bidding!_"

Koko looked horrified as Narumi smiled.

That was one thing Koko _really_ didn't want to know.

* * *

_Bored. This one was, like, an epic fail. The story flow, once again, sucked. But that's because I was in a rush, and wanted to finish this. The next one will be better, I know that for a fact._

_Still. Review anyway, please._

_~Ariisha-chan_


	13. Lost and Found

**Title:** Lost and Found

**Inspiration:** _I lost it...while HE, of all people, found it..._

**Spotlight:** Hotaru and Ruka

**Genre:** Romance/Humor

* * *

She knew it had to be _somewhere_.

Things like that didn't just walk out of your closet or something. No _ordinary_ thing, that is. If she had known this would happen, she would have chained it down.

Her camera.

With all of that good footage of Ruka cosplaying as Princess Ashe from _Final Fantasy XII_. Looked almost exactly like her, too. It would fetch her a few thousand yen or so.

Which she wasn't going to get if she didn't find that camera---and quick. Because if there was one thing that Hotaru couldn't live without, it was money.

She growled silently and threw aside a load of clothes out of her drawer.

* * *

Ruka sat up in his seat and stretched. He had pulled a Natsume and stayed behind in the classroom, sleeping. Now, as he massaged his stiff muscles, he decided that a bed would be a better choice. As he stood he kicked something hard by accident. He looked down and saw a strangely shaped camera.

_Hotaru's_ camera.

Ruka was instantly curious by this sight. Hotaru? Leaving her camera? It wasn't like her. No, _really_ wasn't like her. She kept close tabs on all of her important goodies. Especially her moneymaking goodies. Out of pure scrutiny he picked it up, turning it over and over and over again in his hands. Then he checked the film and his jaw dropped. It was those pictures---those pictures of him cosplaying as Princess Ashe from _Final Fantasy XII_! She actually took pictures! That sneaky little...

And the whole thing actually wasn't his fault. Koko had insisted, saying, "It's for a good cause," and Narumi had threatened to fail him if he didn't. Though is it even legal to fail a kid just because he won't cosplay as a girl? But he did it anyway. So he had been forced to. Totally against his will.

He was just about to take the camera and destroy it completely when he got an idea. A crazy, stupid idea. Well, it probably wouldn't work. But it was a little chance at revenge, and Ruka jumped on it with eagerness.

He exited the classroom with the camera balanced in one palm and a grin.

* * *

Hotaru slammed her drawers shut after ransacking them completely. She was out of ideas. She didn't know where else it could be. For all she knew someone else could have found it and already be selling the pictures and making her money.

_Her_ money.

That thought made a snarl emit from her as she raced to her pile of junk inventions to check and see if she had accidentally tossed it there. She threw things around and made a complete mess of things, all the while thinking that there was nowhere else it could be if it wasn't there.

Unless...

And then she could have slapped herself when she remembered the classroom. Of course. She had put the camera under her seat for a second so she could put her laptop on her...well, her lap...and type something in. Then Narumi had walked in and distracted her, making her forget about the camera completely. With any luck, it was still there, undisturbed, and she would be able to retrieve it and make the oodles of cash that she had wanted.

She was just about to leap up and twirl on her heel to race out of her room when a certain voice made her jump. "Looking for something?" it said.

She whirled around. There Ruka stood, leaned against the doorframe, tossing something up and down in his hand. Something strangely familiar...

He was tossing her _camera_.

Hotaru struggled to keep her voice composed and cool. "How kind of you, Nogi, to bring my belongings back. Why don't you just hand that over and be on your way." She held her hand out expectantly. The little spineless punk would wimp out instantly and give it back in a heartbeat.

But he didn't, like she expected him to. Instead, his grin grew wider and his tosses even slower. "Give it back?" he drawled.

Hotaru got irritated. "Yes, give it back. What, are you deaf as well as dumb?"

"Oh well. It's not valuable anyway, so there's no point in giving it back." He watched closely as she twitched. "And you could always make another one, couldn't you? There's nothing different in this one that won't be in the next one. No?"

_You, my friend, are making a huge mistake._ "You're right. But due to my extreme laziness, I don't think I feel like making another one. It would be much easier for the both of us if you just hand over the camera. You shouldn't be stealing other people's belongings anyway. What are you, a criminal?" She said the last word with surprising intensity. Shows how hard she was concentrating. Ruka noted this with a grin.

"It was sitting on the floor in the classroom. It's fair game."

"The only thing that will be fair in here, Nogi, will be the funeral that you are about to be hosting, and the reason it had to happen."

Ruka only grinned more, which made Hotaru tempted to whip out her Baka Cannon and blast his butt to heaven and down again.

"If you do," Ruka threatened, "I'll just get rid of this, since there's nothing special in here." He fairly enjoyed when Hotaru winced.

And a second later Hotaru did whip out her Baka Gun and fired at least a hundred fists at his big grinning mouth, which, a second later, was a big grinning bloody mouth.

He fell on the floor on his knees, dropping the camera, and Hotaru speedily used her Extending Arm to grab it up.

"Now that we've all gotten what we deserved," Hotaru said cooly, "you can scram, Nogi."

Ruka looked up, and that grin was still on his face. It made Hotaru more irritated. She approached and leaned down, hissing in his face, "But if you would like to have a few more missing teeth I would be happy to oblige."

His grin grew wider. Now it was almost kind of creepy.

She leaned closer. "Well? Would you, Nogi?"

And he leaned up and planted a kiss right on her sneering mouth.

Hotaru reared back, spitting and wiping her mouth. A second later she glared at him. "You got your disgusting idiot blood in my mouth, creep."

Ruka slowly stood.

"Now that you've gotten what you wanted, buzz off," she said, clearly peeved. She looked down at her camera. At least she had her millions of yen in her hands now.

"Yeah." Ruka smiled. Then he flashed the film in his hands.

"Thanks," he said, and left.

Hotaru looked into the spool where the film went and saw that it was empty.

* * *

_Wow. Haven't updated in a while. And yes, I count three days as "a while". XD_

_Ha ha ha. Bad Ruka :P I made him unnecessarily evil in this. How unlike him. How very OOC of me. Especially the ending. But you have to admit that Hotaru walked into that one._

_But it was still pretty good. I shoulda made Hotaru scramble his brains with a whisk. That's what I would've done. XD_

_Review?_

_Till next time,_

_~Ariisha-chan_


	14. Plagued

**Title:** Plagued

**Inspiration:** _Burdened by something that no amount of anything with lift..._

**Spotlight:** Elementary School Principal

**Genre:** Angst

* * *

A weight.

Something.

You can't quite put your finger on it.

But you know what you want.

But someone else has it. You need to achieve it, attain it, even steal it from them. Yet you can't. You don't know how to. Because time and time again you've tried. And every time it didn't work. Because something always went wrong. Someone was always one step ahead. Someone always knew the ropes.

So you had to use foul play. You had to take people you knew and abuse them. Force them to inflict pain upon the object of your desires. And it worked. Soon you had it wrapped right around your finger.

But it still wouldn't obey.

No matter how much you tried. People can call you anything. Selfish, manipulative, greedy. Egotistical, maybe. Even masochistic. What hurts the most is that you can't even deny it. Can't even defend yourself. Can't even make an excuse.

Because that certain _it_ knows the truth.

You know you need that object. You need it like plants need sunlight. You're willing to do anything. Even kill others. Shift the burden a bit so you aren't carrying it all by yourself like a pack horse. And you can't, because deep down you know you're still the one guy carrying the biggest load.

You're plagued by the desire to have that object.

You need that.

And its name is Yuka Azumi.

* * *

_I didn't want to, but I did, so there.  
_

_And did you know that the Elementary School Principal's name is Kuonji? O.O I had no idea. Strange and shocking, cuz I never bothered to check cuz he's worth about a bucket of dust to me._

_A mighty screwing to you, Principal Kuonji. I hate you, I always will, you deserve all you get. Nyah. :P And you can't come after me cuz you're just paper. So HA!_

_Is it silly to hate a manga character? I can't help it. It's as natural as breathing. XD_

_So I just went ahead and wrote this to honor the fact that Principal Kuonji is miserable, deep down inside of him. Because I went back and read chapters 96, 97, 98, and 127 of Gakuen Alice, and I actually, really really THOUGHT about what he's really after. What's wrong with him. And the temptation to write this was too much._

_But I made it soooooo short. Ha ha ha._

_And you know what else?_

_The MikanXNatsume parts in these chapters were adorable! X3_

_Review and you'll get some yummy cyber muffins._

_Till next time,_

_~Ariisha-chan_


	15. Ehhh, Wrong

**Title:** Ehhh, Wrong

**Inspiration:** Actually...this was random...XD

**Spotlight:** Mikan and Natsume (I reeeeeeeeally gotta let up...)

**Genre:** Romance

* * *

Mikan tapped her bare foot impatiently. Why was she out here, anyways? Why did she even bother to get out of bed? She had been having a perfectly nice dream when that certain voice had broken into the part when she was just about to sink her teeth into some howalon.

"_Oi. I need to talk to you, Polka._"

Then it was gone.

And she had sat up so fast she nearly flew off the bed.

Now she was standing out here, in the dead of night, having quickly changed into an aquamarine tank top and a denim miniskirt. And it was a bad choice, because there was a slight chill in the air. She shivered as goosebumps covered her arms and cursed herself silently for forgetting her shoes.

A voice from above made her jump at least a foot in the air. "Oi. I'm up here, Polka."

She looked up. Natsume was sitting on a branch, leaning against the base of the tree in a pair of jeans and a black t-shirt.

She climbed the tree, muttering, "Stupid, disgusting perverted fox."

When she was safely on the branch, she demanded, "What do you want? You've dragged me out here at practically midnight, for what? It had better be worth it, or else." She made a fist, though knowing it would probably have as much effect as hitting him with a pillow.

He didn't answer; he just played with the ends of her hair.

She didn't stop him. "Well? Whaddaya want?!" She crossed her arms. "Do you want me to start guessing?"

Still no answer.

"Fine. Did you call me out here just to start calling me Polka dots?"

"No."

"Did you want to just make fun of me?"

"No."

"Then was it for no reason?!"

"No."

"Then why did you make me come out here in the middle of this freaking cold night just to play with my hair and not say anything to me?! This is pointless. You are pointless! You are confusing and pointless! Okay? Now you'd better tell me! Beause---mmm!"

He pulled her to him in a sensual and warm kiss.

After a few minutes Mikan pulled away from him and stared at him.

"Making out in a tree is also pointless, you know."

* * *

_I notice that it has a similar line from my other fic. Oh well. Who gives a flying fritter?_

_Ha ha ha. Also, for others who may have had a bit of miscommunication: I only use "till next time" as a way of saying "till the next time I'm writing". I'm not ending the drabbles. I'll let you know when I do, which won't be for a very very very very very etc. long time from now. Relief, huh? XD_

_And I also notice that the title has nothing to do with the story. I had a different idea in mind when I made the title but the story developed differently. Well, I like this one better anyway. :)_

_Review and, upon foxtrotelly's request, you'll get some tasty cyber cookies. But she gets her own batch. You all get seperates. XD_

_Thanks for reading._

_~Ariisha-chan_


	16. Two Times the Charms

**Title:** Two Times the Charms

**Inspiration:** _The infamous charm bracelet and the sucker for love._

**Dedication:** The Random Artist...oh, how I thank you for giving me the spirit to write again. *bows repeatedly* No amount of thanks will show my gratitude. Though I'll still have to get back to you on the eternal life and wealth thing. XD Also another thanks to foxtrotelly (again, I know) for letting me spill my guts to her. :D The relieving of the stress was enough to get my fingers moving.

**Spotlight:** Mikan and Natsume

**Genre:** Romance (teeny bit of humor)

[_Note:_ Shameless fluff and OOCness of Natsume in here (I think). Just to let you know. You have been warned.]

* * *

"And you gave me a plain silver chain...why?"

Mikan stared at the small, drab bracelet in her palm.

"Just wait and you'll see," was the famous Black Cat's response.

Mikan didn't particularly like secrets, and she frowned, but she didn't reply.

_Nichiyobi_---otherwise known as _Sunday_---as Mikan returned to her room late at night, she saw something sparkling in the moonlight that shone on her bed. As she came closer, she saw that it was a charm. A charm of a topaz sun. It was taped to a small piece of paper. Mikan slowly picked it up and read it:

_"Though the sun is gone, I have a light."_

_You._

_N.H._

Mikan stared, blinking once or twice. She dangled the charm from her pointer finger and thumb, staring at it in the moonlight, before clasping it to the chain she had put on her wrist.

_Getsuyobi_---otherwise known as _Monday_---a weary and annoyed Mikan made her way to her bedroom. Stupid Natsume had avoided her all day, and went in the other direction every time she had tried to approach him to ask about the charm. Though she could have sworn, as she stared at him from out the corner of her eye in class, that he had been staring at her wrist with a small smile.

Swinging open the door, she slammed it shut and then walked over to her bed, flopping down on it with a groan. Almost instantly she heard the sound of paper crinkling and something sharp poked her in the gut. She leapt off the bed with a gasp.

What she had laid on was a small piece of paper with something taped to it, which was a charm. A charm of a silver crescent moon with a single diamond in the middle. Mikan stared for a few seconds before she clasped it on her chain next to the sun and read the paper:

_"I like to think that the moon is there even if I am not looking at it."_

_N.H._

Somehow a grin wormed its way on to her face.

_Kayobi_---otherwise known as _Tuesday_---Mikan dragged her feet to her room. She had gotten detention for falling asleep in Math, and Jinno-sensei kept her an extra hour by mistake. And she had a project that was due the next day. Now she was going to have to work on it all night, then go to bed late, then get up late, and be late for class, possibly getting detention again. With her luck she'd be kept an extra hour again. Sighing, she opened her door slowly and her attention and thoughts were instantly diverted by a sparkle on the bed. She walked over much quicker than usual and lifted the piece of paper with the charm attached to it to see which charm it was this time. It was a ruby carved in the shape of flames. Despite her horrible day a smile broke on her face as she stroked it lovingly, because it particularly reminded her of her kuro neko. After clasping the charm carefully to the chain after her moon, she read the paper:

_"Make no fire, raise no smoke."_

_N.H._

Her smile only grew wider.

_Suiyobi_---otherwise known as _Wednesday_---Mikan raced to her room, skipping up the stairs three at a time. She was excited to see which charm she would get this time. She still couldn't get Natsume to fess up, though, which got on her nerves the slightest. And she still didn't understand why he had given her a stupid empty chain if he was just going to give her all of these charms. Also she had gotten a zero on her project, mainly because she fell asleep right in the middle of doing it the night before and had to make up a lot of things afterwards.

Pushing those things aside in her thoughts, she threw open her bedroom door and ran over to her bed. Sure enough, there was yet another charm with a piece of paper. This time it was an aquamarine in the shape of a teardrop. Marveling at it and quickly clasping it on the chain, she pulled out the paper:

_"Nothing is softer or more flexible than water, yet nothing can resist it."_

_N.H._

Mikan read over the paper once, twice, again and again.

_Mokuyobi_---otherwise known as _Thursday_---Mikan trudged to her room, exhausted. She had gone to Central Town before to buy a little something, and she missed the bus back because she had taken so long deciding on what to get, and had to walk back, which sucked because she had already been tired from delivering messages back and forth for Narumi. Also at Central Town she could have _sworn_ that she saw someone who looked like Natsume. Stopping in front of her bedroom door and slowly opening it, she collapsed at a heap at the end of her bed, dragging the covers down with her. Something cold landed on her face, and she brushed it off as she slowly dozed off.

Then she bolted up as she remembered, and felt around the floor frantically. _Crap, crap, crap, crap, crap..._

Much to her relief, she touched the paper a few minutes later. Picking it up carefully, she brushed it off in her hand gently. This time it was an emerald in the shape of a leaf. After clasping it to the chain that adorned her many charms, she read the note slowly:

_"Even if I knew that tomorrow the world would go to pieces, I would still plant my Sakura tree for you."_

_N.H._

He never failed to make her smile from ear to ear.

_Kin'yobi_---otherwise known as _Friday_---Mikan zoomed from Natsume's room clutching the box that had originally held her prize in it. That's what she had gone to Central Town for---to buy him a new volume of this manga he liked. And for all that it was worth, he had better like it.

Slamming the door on her heels and slumping against it, she sighed with relief. She hadn't gotten caught by the recipient of her gift himself, and she hadn't gotten caught by anyone who might blab to the recipient and possibly the whole world while they were at it. Sighing again with satisfaction, she walked over and flopped on to her bed. Right now, all she wanted to do was take a nice, long nap.

And she rolled over on to the floor when she heard the crinkle of paper and something sharp once again jabbed her in the rib. Reaching up from her position sprawled out on the floor, she pulled the paper down and examined it. This time the charm was a small circle of gold in the shape of a five-hundred yen coin. After clasping it to the chain she read the note:

_"An inch of time with you is an inch of gold, but you can't buy that inch of time with you with an inch of gold."_

_N.H._

_P.S. Thanks._

Something swelled in Mikan's chest that she couldn't quite explain.

_Doyobi_---otherwise known as _Saturday_---Mikan ran to her room as fast as her legs could carry her, nearly blinded by the tears that ran from her eyes. That day was possibly the worst day she could ever have had in her fifteen years of life. For one they had class that day for a punishment because they had been acting out in Math. Then someone threw a paper ball at Jinno and blamed Mikan, so she had detention _again_. Then at lunch she dropped her tray and had to clean it up by herself. And she couldn't get another one, so on top of that she was hungry. Then they had a pop quiz and she flunked it, bringing her grades down even lower. And somehow in the midst of all of that she dropped the wad of money she had in her pocket, the money she had painstakingly saved for howalon, and couldn't find it. And Natsume was still being a jerk and avoiding her. _THEN_ in detention Jinno kept her an extra two hours, which was just lovely after a day like this.

Right now all she wanted to do was curl up in the fetal position and cry her eyes out. Throwing her bedroom door open, she flung herself on the floor on her knees and sobbed.

"Oi."

She looked up so fast she nearly broke her neck. And there was Natsume Hyuuga, a.k.a. The Jerk Who Had Avoided Her For A Whole Week, sitting in her window seat.

Then he noticed her appearance. "What's with the tears, Polka?" he asked, slowly walking over to her and crouching next to her.

She didn't answer; all she did was bury her face in his chest and cry harder.

* * *

About a half-hour of this later and Natsume said, "Oi. You're getting my shirt wet."

Her response was a sob.

"Would you mind telling me why you're here using my shirt as a handkerchief? Or better, why you even started bawling in the first place?"

She sniffed, and the sobs subsided. "Today sucked," she sniffled.

"That's it?"

"What do you mean, _that's it_?" Mikan said irritably. "Today _sucked_ and that's _that_. Case _closed_."

He rolled his eyes but didn't say anything in response.

"And you suck, too, for ignoring me." She clutched his shirt tighter. "I hate you."

What he did next was surprising. He lifted her wrist---the one with the bracelet on it---and hooked a new charm on it. Mikan pulled her wrist back and looked at it. It was a heart with small rubies, sapphires and emeralds embedded into it. Mikan sucked in a breath.

And all of a sudden she got it.

"So you gave me an empty bracelet...just so you could give me a charm for every day of the week..." Mikan twisted her mouth in skeptism. "...And you did that _why_?"

Natsume rolled his eyes and arched an eyebrow. "Because I love you, dummy."

Mikan stuck her tongue out and crooked her finger at his face. "Well, get this, genius: I love you too. How about _that_?"

"So do I suck now?" Natsume smirked.

Mikan blinked.

"Yep."

* * *

_Okay, that was scary. Natsume was so OOC it was almost disgusting to write. And the ending was awkward and random. But there was lots of fluff! I think. XD God, I really need to stop doubting myself._

_Hey, but I updated! YAY! :D It's been so long. Yikes, maybe a little too long. If it hadn't been brought to my attention, I never would have written this . XD And the title = weird._

_Yeah, I'm so dumb. The other times he gave a note, but the last charm he delivered in person. And I was going on sort of a pattern based on this article I read, but the last day I went so totally off. XD It's almost laughable._

_I'll just say this now: the quotes on the notes (new rhyme! Lolza XD) aren't mine. I added some parts in, but really. They. Are. Not. Mine. So you don't go crediting me for them. XD If you want to know who made them, just PM me and I'll tell you._

_And now...since I went through the trouble of writing this, can you do me a small favor and review, please? :D_

_Pretty please? :3_

_Thanks for reading._

_~Ariisha-chan_


	17. Can't Impress

**Title:** Can't Impress

**Inspiration:** _Flirting when you can't flirt = big no-no._

**Spotlight:** Sumire and Koko

**Genre:** Humor

* * *

"_What light through yonder window breaks?_"

"Just _stop_, for the love of god."

The green curly haired girl turned away from her idiotic boyfriend.

"_The course of true love never did run smooth._"

"I mean it. These words don't sound right coming out of you."

"_What, my dear Lady Disdain! Are you yet living?_"

"Shut up! I'm serious. It's not working, because you suck!"

"_Was ever woman in this humor woo'd?_"

"No. Not ever."

The infuriating thing was that every little thing that she said, he could retaliate with a stupid Shakespeare quote. Ever since the fool had started studying it after he read her thoughts and she so happened to be thinking of Shakespeare and that he was so annoying. Thank god the guy was dead, otherwise she'd go claw his eyes out to prevent him from coming up with any more ingenious phrases.

Why, why, why couldn't Koko be like Natsume? The only time he ever quoted Shakespeare was when he was talking to Mikan, and he said only the most offensive phrases. Though he must have had to say something kind at one point, because she always walked away beaming.

"_Nothing can come of nothing,_" Koko said, breaking Sumire from her reverie.

"Who cares! I'm going to get some french fries." Sumire strolled away with Koko on her heels.

"_We should be woo'd and were not made to woo,_" Koko stated.

"Good point. Which in this case, you're breaking both rules." Sumire tried to plug her ears. This boy was ticking her off.

"_The quality of mercy is not strained._"

Silence.

"_Blow, blow thou winter wind!_"

Silence.

"_Alas, poor _Sumire_._"

Sumire turned around with a stomach-churning, fear-inducing glare. "If you don't shut the he---"

"_If _threats_ be the food of love, _speak_ on._"

Sumire leapt on him with a snarl and---

**[CENSOR BLOCK]**

A few minutes later Sumire stood above Koko's dead body, staring down at him.

Quietly she said, "_What a piece of work is a man._"

Then she walked away.

* * *

_Nyahahaha, it's been sooooo looooong. I am an awful person. But I am sooooo busy. So many things I have to write! And I still gotta go to school, to top it all off. :(_

_But okay. At least I updated, huh?_

_Sorry it's so short. I was sort of lazy. But...I still updated. Right? :) Wrong? Okay._

_Well, please review anyways. :)_

_Thanks for reading._

_~Ariisha-chan_


	18. Because

**Title:** Because

**Inspiration:** _Because of everything you've done is just one reason to say "because"._

**Spotlight:** Mikan and Natsume

**Genre:** Angst

* * *

Because.

Because you had always stayed beside me even when threatened with the worst possibilities.

Because even when you pissed me off to the extremes, you would always make up for it later. You never let one argument go farther than it had to, you never wanted to see me get really really mad. You told me this, how much you'd rather see a smile on my face than a frown.

But right now there's nothing I can do but frown.

Because you were practically what kept me moving every day. Because I could wake up in the morning and step out of bed knowing I'd see you in a few minutes and see you the whole day, and even a little afterwards. Because I could smile that favorite smile of yours and then I could see your rare one, too, and I knew I was one of the only people who could bring it out. Because I knew how you felt. Because I knew all about you.

Which is why I feel at fault.

Because if I had've known, Natsume, that that was going to be the last time I'd see you, I would have stopped you. I would have taken your arm, begged you not to go. I would have persuaded you to take me with you. And we would have gone together, and maybe then we'd be sitting beside each other right now and I wouldn't be like this. Because we would have done it together. We'd have fought it out together. Because that's how we always did it.

Yet we aren't.

And it hurts because I miss you. I miss you, Natsume. Because even when I yelled at you when you called me nicknames related to undergarments, it always made me blush the slightest bit. Because I miss when you'd put your face in my hair and inhale, which you always said I smelled like strawberries. Or you'd twirl a strand around your finger and brush it lightly against my face, and it tickled and made me laugh. Because all of those times were fun, happy times.

Never again would I see the startling red of your eyes or that raven hair that was oh-so-distinct, even in a crowd thicker than honey. And those days where you'd be sweet one second and a total bastard the next, those were enjoyable, too. They were amazing.

Because I knew all of your feelings and why you acted the way you did. I reveled in your desire to cauterize the Academy to the ground, then to ignite the ashes, and the ashes' ashes. Not because I wanted it to, because it was funny. Now I see why. Because the way you pointed things out made anything clear in a matter of minutes.

Because I'll never breathe in again and smell that familiar scent you always had, one that couldn't be described, it was just homely. That strange, intoxicating scent that I knew would bring you a second after I inhaled it.

Because.

Because I miss when you said those three words with such a feeling and I knew you meant it.

"I love you".

Because no matter how many times you said it it sounded new and even more special than the last.

Because the sound of your voice alone was special.

And I'm sorry that I couldn't help you in your time of need, the time when you needed me the most.

Because you know how I love to help you whenever I can no matter how large the task, right?

Because I love you.

_"I love you too moron, and I'm all right."_

* * *

_Nyah. Short and...bitter. Maybeh. Boo. :(_

_Review, pleasies? :)_

_~Ariisha-chan_


	19. Inanition

**Title**: Inanition

**Inspiration:** The glass was half empty. It always had been.

**Dedication:** NatsuMikanAnimeAddict, who hoped that there was more from Drabble 18 where that came from...your wishes have been answered :) I needed more dedicees, anyway!

**Spotlight:** Misaki and Tsubasa

**Genre:** Angst

* * *

Misaki clutched the note in her hands as the tears in her eyes stung and overflowed, making wet trails down her cheeks. She didn't know how many times she had read it. Because she was in disbelief. She had memorized the whole thing, sentence from sentence, word from word, letter from letter. She had memorized the way it had been written, hurried, in a rush, and how the paper looked, crumpled, rough. She had even memorized how it felt.

Misaki had always been a together type of person---calm, cool and collected. Right now she felt as if she were falling apart.

She unfolded the note for the upteenth time and tried to stop her hands from shaking as she read the note again.

_Misaki,_

_I want you to know if you're reading this, don't let anyone else read it. This is for your eyes only._

_It's not a covert meeting or secret conspiracy note or anything, Tsubasa,_ Misaki thought as she wiped her eyes and read on.

_I just wanted to let you know that if you're reading this I'm long gone already. It's too late to send out anyone to come find me, because no one will._

_I didn't want to leave you like this. But it was the only way._

_There were no other options for me._

_It was hopeless._

_I didn't want to, but please don't hate me. My greatest wish was only for you to be happy, to live peacefully. What I was going through was crazy, and getting you caught up in it would have made it worse. Not just for you, but for me too. It's my fault you're stuck with what you're stuck with now._

_And I just want you to know---if it makes you feel any better, which it probably won't---that it was fun. All of those times, even when you'd punch me through the roof and then put a bed of spikes on the spot when I was coming back down (remember, I suffered from extreme blood loss), I knew you were just playing and you did it out of concern and playfulness. You had a fighting spirit and when it was likewise it just hurt._

_Which was how it's been recently. You were down a lot. I knew it was because of me, because of me having to do missions ten times more than usual, me coming back extra late, and us hardly having any time to spend together. When we did it wasn't that long because either I was too tired, not well enough or I'd have to leave again. I knew it sucked. That's why I decided to take one burden off of your hands. I knew I was the only thing keeping you down from being happier._

_The only thing I want is for you to laugh and smile and call me an idiot again, like you usually did. That would be at least one pick-me-up, if any._

_And I know it won't help at all, but..._

_Never mind._

_I love you, Misaki. And I'm sorry it had to be this way._

_Take care of...take care of him for me._

_-Tsubasa_

"Stupid Tsubasa," Misaki muttered as she began to chuckle under her breath, even as the tears were running down her face. "Stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid." She grit her teeth. "I thought you knew."

She tossed the note next to her. "You were one of the small reasons I had to even smile. God, you're so stupid!" Misaki laughed shakily which quickly turned into sobs. She placed one hand over her stomach.

"I'll take care of him all right. Because if I knew you better I'd say you were dead."

* * *

_Meh. Not enough angst. Blah. I feel so bland and unfeeling right now. :(_

_I...have no idea where the title came from...it sounded cool, sooooo... :)_

_I need a pick-me-up too...review, please?_

_~Ariisha-chan_


	20. Idiots

**Title:** Idiots

**Inspiration:** _He's an idiot, she's an idiot, and they're all idiots._

**Spotlight:** Mikan and Natsume

**Genre:** Angst

* * *

_**Natsume**_

You weren't worth a thing and you knew it.

Because when it boiled down to it all, you were just like everyone else. Someone who wanted revenge. An ordinary person with a death wish against someone who wronged them in the past. When you say it like that, it sounds stupid, but it's the truth.

Then came the girl. The girl you thought was the biggest annoyance to ever walk the face of the earth became someone you loved. Subtlety was the key, but you had never been one for subtlety. Hey, if they wanna know, why not go right on out and tell them.

But...she was so...different. Just unlike all of the other girls that fawned over you and ogled you in the hallways and in the classrooms. Her first words to you were not, "He's so hot!" but instead were, "I hate his guts!"

And it wasn't because of the common cliche "Oh-she-pissed-me-off-she's-so-strange-look-I-think-I-love-her-now" that got you from despising to loving. This was an even more odd feeling. Before you knew it you were telling everyone and even admitting to yourself that you'd give your all just to be with her, you didn't care what, just give.

But things came between you two.

It wasn't just one thing, it was everything. Hell if you knew why, whether it was accidental, purposely or just plain fate. The horrors came more often, the fear of living in the knowledge that you couldn't do damn well near a thing about it was even stronger. And you watch the world passing by, so quickly, so unbelievably bereaving that it was almost unbearable, near torture for you. Who knew how it made her feel.

And that made things even worse.

You couldn't even help _her_, of all people.

Just proving how worthless you really and truly were.

You were just an idiot.

**_Mikan_**

You watched. You sat back and watched the nightmarish life he had to live in. Dropping off the face of the earth for days, weeks even. Each day you watched him leave, then you watched him come back, then you saw his wounds and the pain that was permanently etched into his face that he tried to hide, all for your sake.

And you sat there and watched.

Everything is worth something. Yet you...weren't worth a thing. Nobody should be like that. But you proved the impossible. No...you made the impossible become real. If you cared, you'd try to help. You really would. You'd seen it all, from the near-death experiences to seeing him wake up in the middle of the night, sweating and panting, a look of pure terror on his face a second before he snapped out of his trance and would lay back down stiffly.

Who could live like that?

Who? With the knowledge that someone who cut into them like a knife was suffering like that?

And to think you hated him. To think that you said so many cruel things about him back then, when you had no idea what he was going through at all. You had no idea how he felt, how it affected him so much to hear those things out of a stupid person who didn't even know the full story or why he even did what he did. It was sickening. And the irony of it was so disgusting it takes all of your strength not to puke when you think of it.

You were so dense and oblivious to his feelings. It took you years to figure out how he actually felt, from the depths of his soul. Stupid! Stupid! Stupid! That constantly haunts you, your conscience chiding you for being so dumb, every time you see him. The guilt is a part of your being. Because you knew you watched when he felt that way. Just stared. And just asking cheerily, "Need any help?" didn't constitute for how much you owed him.

There were a few walls and hurdles to your relationship, and the fifth time around you'd given up and sat out, watching everyone else.

And it hurt to a new degree to know that. But it was nothing like his pain.

And you couldn't do anything.

Because you were useless.

A useless idiot.

* * *

He was an idiot for hiding his pain.

She was an idiot for sitting and watching his pain.

They both were idiots for denying their pain.

In the end, they both were just idiots.

Idiots in pain.

* * *

_I've been feeling angsty lately. I don't know why. Which is why I wrote two angst drabbles in a row. I guess I'll make the next one humor._

_Review, please, to help me feel better._

_~Ariisha-chan_


	21. Just Petty

**Title:** Just Petty

**Inspiration:** _RANDOM YEAH..._

**Spotlight:** Mikan and Natsume

**Genre:** Romance/Humor

* * *

"Natsume, Natsume!"

Natsume sighed as he heard his wife calling him yet _again_. He walked into the living room from the kitchen (where he had earlier been preparing howalon oatmeal---_yes, howalon oatmeal_---to satisfy her desires) and slapped his hand against the arm of the sofa. "What?" he growled.

Mikan stared at his hand for a few seconds, tracing patterns against the back of it gently. "Nothing," she finally said.

He muttered a string of incoherent words and stalked back into the kitchen.

A few minutes later he heard an "OW" and then an "I-can't-reach-it" and---what he had been anticipating---another "Natsume, Natsume!"

He stomped back into the living room and saw her trying to bend over to grab something. "God, don't bend over, you'll hurt yourself," he mumbled, and knelt down. "What were you trying to reach?" She pointed to something shiny and black under the sofa and then sat back, putting a hand on her large, round stomach, watching him silently as he pulled the object out and revealed it to be...

"What do you want with my old DS?" _This woman,_ he thought, _is going insane._ She shrugged, then said, "I want to play."

He gritted his teeth and turned the DS over, popping the game out to check it then popping it back in, turning it on and handing it to her. "Knock yourself out," he said, then turned around, muttering, "_Literally._"

"What was that, Natsume?" Mikan had a pleasant smile on her face but her eyes were dark and menacing.

"Nothing." He thudded back into the kitchen, already predicting how this one was going to end.

Just like he'd thought, some time later he heard, "Hmm...this game...hey...what the?" and a crash.

"I _hate_ this game!" he heard Mikan scream. "It cheats worse than a guy at a poker game with a bunch of old blind people. It can go screw itself! Stupid piece of..."

He walked back in, this time carrying the steaming bowl of howalon oatmeal he had been precariously preparing (because, you know, one wrong move and he would have been toast). Mikan's cheeks were pink and apparently she had thrown the game out the window because the glass was broken. Natsume sighed, making a mental note to call the window repair guys to come and fix that.

"I hate it!" she continued. "It was a stupid game that cheated and I never want to see the anserine piece of technology again! I---" She looked up and just like that, her face lit up. "Oooh, is that howalon oatmeal? My favorite!" She held her hands out and took the bowl and began to spoon it meticulously into her mouth. "Thank you!"

"You're welcome," he said sarcastically and sat down next to her on the sofa, picking up the television remote and clicking the television on.

"Degrassi!"

* * *

Thirty minutes of eye and ear pains along with suffering from the drama and stupidity of everyone (especially Paige...oh, how he hated Paige) later, Natsume turned the television off and looked down at Mikan, who was curled up against his arm, asleep.

He couldn't wait for this stupid baby to come so he could have the old Polka dots back, because really, this woman was a _health hazard_.

* * *

_I'm just gonna shut up there. :)_

_So I got the idea for this after having an inspiration burst (FINALLY!) and I was exhausted as crap. I have no idea where the title came from. I was in the middle of writing a drabble because of a review I got for the last one I made, but this one I finished first so I thought, why not post it? I haven't been updating lately anyways. XD_

_But still I say: I need ideas, people! :)_

_Review?_

_~Ariisha-chan_


	22. Angel Girl

**Title:** Angel Girl

**Inspiration:** _"Philosophy will clip an angel's wings." ~John Keats_

**Dedication:** Hello, dear foxtrotelly. :) I know I already promised you thousands of things and I am sososo sorry I have been too lazy to write them. :( But I hope you shake out of this per say "emotional phase" so we can talk again, because I have been so lonelylonelylonely! :3

**Spotlight:** Izumi and Mikan

**Genre:** Angst, Hurt/Comfort

* * *

Izumi didn't know which was worse; laying here dying or laying here dying thinking about who he was abandoning.

But as he lay here dying with Rei Serio over him, crying and begging him not to die, he was somewhere else.

A happy place.

A place where he, Yuka and Mikan---that's what he wanted to name the baby---could live happily. A sunny place, free of the AAO and everyone else trying to imprison those Alices. Except here, he was Alice-free. So were Yuka and Mikan. They frolicked in the meadow under the ice-blue sky, and as Mikan looked over at him, auburn hair bouncing and brown eyes shining, he thought about what a _sweetsweetsweet_ girl he had.

_Sweetsweetsweet._

And no matter what happened that _sweetsweetsweet_ girl would always be his angel baby, his angel girl, the _sweetsweetsweet_ little angel he knew she would turn out to be, full of life, innocence and happiness.

His _sweetsweetsweet_ angel baby girl.

His _wonderfulwonderfulwonderful_ angel baby girl.

His---

* * *

_Thought of this at school cuz school sucks and is good for inspiring. :) For those who are wondering, it cut off at the end because he died. Oh boo! :(_

_I was actually reminded of Maximum Ride (my latest obsession but none will evereverever beat out Gakuen Alice :D) when I was writing this! Does it sound weird?_

_Review, per favore? :)_

_~Ariisha-chan_


	23. Angel Boy

**Title**: Angel Boy

**Inspiration:** _second half of **Angel Girl**. :)_

**Spotlight:** Kaoru and Natsume

**Genre:** Angst, Hurt/Comfort

* * *

He was her angel boy.

Not a thing would ever change that. Not even death, and especially not the little pricks at the stupid Academy. Her _darlingdarlingdarling_ angel boy would live, not to fall to these fiends she dwells with. He would be free. _Freefreefree_.

Kaoru pressed her foot on the gas pedal and drove faster. Her beloved angel baby was waiting for her, waiting for her to walk through the front door, waiting for her to walk to him with a radiant smile, pick him up, cuddle him. He was waiting for that and no organization loser was going to stop her.

No one would stop her from getting to her _lovelylovelylovely_ angel boy.

And as she sped up even more, she prayed for the day she wouldn't have to do this. The day where she wouldn't have to drive. She could walk on the quiet land to the peaceful street, and her _darlingdarlingdarling_ angel boy would be sitting in the grass, watching for her. When he saw her he would smile with his cherubic face, running to meet her. And no one would be behind her or after her. Because she wouldn't have anything or know anything they didn't want her to have and know. Because she would be normal. They all would be normal. Especially her _darlingdarlingdarling_ angel boy. And he would look up at her with his crimson eyes and smile even wider, and she would stroke his raven hair and think about how she would protect her _darlingdarlingdarling_ angel baby forever.

_Crap._ Kaoru looked in the rearview mirror and saw the men speeding up. She pressed the gas pedal even harder.

My _lovelylovelylovely_ angel baby boy.

My _darlingdarlingdarling_ angel baby boy.

Here I come, my---

_Insert crash and glass shattering._

* * *

_Same deal. :( Poor Natsume. I went back and read Chapter 123 of Gakuen Alice, and when I saw the look on Natsume's face when he saw Kaoru in that crash I felt so bad for him beyond words. :( His face was just...complete horror._

_I'm getting into one of those angsty moods again where I can't laugh. Darn it._

_Review, s'il vous plaît, and think of Natsume's face... :(_

_~Ariisha-chan_


	24. Simply Known As

**Title:** Simply Known As

**Inspiration:** _Nicknames aren't everything._

**Dedication:** Sitting In the Silence, whom I should have gotten to a long time ago. :( I apologize. I know this is a bit late, but I loved the review you gave me on my other fic. So I wanted to write this in gratitude. :)

**Spotlight:** Persona and Izumi

**Genre:** Angst, Hurt/Comfort

* * *

To everyone else, he was Persona, the killer, the murderer, the hate-bearer.

But to Izumi, he was simply Rei.

Rei Serio.

When no one else would come, when he was locked up in that horrible dungeon, when he thought he wouldn't be able to stand living for one more second, there Izumi was, smiling, laughing, telling him it was okay, he was here. And just like that, faster than you could say "die", Rei brightened. He was happy again. Everything was a-okay, and he could live there for a few more weeks because he could live in the hopes that one day, he'd be free, and get to see the world. He'd live like all of the other Alices. In a not completely normal way, but normal enough.

And that was thanks to Izumi.

He really didn't mean to kill him. Honestly. It was an accident. And he felt so incredibly guilty he couldn't even stand to look in the mirror anymore. While everyone else...everyone else stood around with sick smiles of pleasure...so very happy that he had gotten a nuisance off their hands! A nuisance that was only going to prevent them from achieving what they wanted. But Izumi...he said it was okay. Even as Rei sat over him in tears, realizing what he'd done, and he was so so _sorry_, Izumi said it was okay and that he knew it wasn't his fault.

And then, just like that, Izumi was dead.

The one person who would go near him when no one else would...dead.

And years and years and years he had lived with that in his mind.

Inside Izumi's heart, he was still Rei.

But outside, he was Persona.

_The killer._

_The murderer._

_The hate-bearer._

And this time there was no one there to tell him he wasn't.

_

* * *

THREE ANGST DRABBLES IN A ROW! WOWZA! D: I have to calm down with the sadness. Really._

_So I shall make the next one fluffy and humorous, and without shame I will. I WILL._

_And I have been updating a lot! Yayayaya for me! :D_

_Soooo...review? Pleasies? :)_

_~Ariisha-chan_


	25. The Rip Equalizer and Recoil Damage

Completely revising and rewriting this drabble. Possible title change too. Sorry!

-Arii


	26. Puppy Murderer

**Title:** Puppy Murderer

**Inspiration:** _Really now. Aren't puppies the CUTEST? ;P_

**Dedication:** Irreplaceable Joy, for absolutely no reason. Oh wait, yes I do have a reason. For being the best sister ever. Plus I know how you like cats better than dogs, so this is a SLAM WHAM in your face! Mwahahahahaha! (Okay, I'll stop now.)

**Spotlight:** Mikan and Natsume

**Genre:** Humor

* * *

Mikan sat on the front stoop, scanning the street quickly. Nope. No one coming. She snickered to herself. She sure scared them all off today.

She had just moved here and already hated it. For one, she had to leave her bestest-bestest bud ever behind, Hotaru Imai (who actually seemed to not really care!). And all of her other friends. Then she had to move to this cruddy street in this cruddy town with a bunch of cruddy uptight people. She swore she could see the people turning their noses up at them when they were lugging their furniture into their new house.

Which is why Mikan was going to get them all back. To make up for having her suffer this extremely, her parents had gone out and got her a new puppy, which she now deemed her only friend. The only one willing to go near her, that is. But he was such a cute and pretty puppy. His fur was sleek and shiny and obsidian black, and his eyes were a deep green, like emeralds. And best of all, he really seemed to understand her. She fell in love with him the moment she had seen him.

Of course, her parents, on the other hand, weren't so infatuated with him.

Proof? Her mother went into another room every time she walked in with her puppy, and her father sat far away from her.

But it didn't matter, because Natsume was much more important to her than what her parents thought.

Yes, that was the puppy's name.

Natsume.

And the best part was that she had skillfully trained her dog to, whenever she gave the command, "Kill, Natsume!" Natsume would jump over the fence (he was just a puppy and already he came up to her thigh) and tackle the object she pointed to. She had tested so on her parents and now was forbidden to do so, because of the case of furniture being destroyed and parent maulage. That's how bad it was. By doing this she had scared every single person who set foot on the street, ruined a march, and wrecked at least ten cars, just to show she didn't care about them.

Ah, yes, she loved Natsume.

_Hold up,_ she thought as she saw someone walking up the street. _Looks like I didn't get them all. One chickie decided to make the dive._

She clicked her tongue at Natsume and whispered, "Here, boy!" and he followed her as she crouched down and peered in between the railing. It was...a boy. Raven hair, white t-shirt, black jeans. About her age or so. _Oh, this is gonna be so easy._

She rubbed Natsume between the ears and silently watched as the boy passed the fence. As he passed he bumped the fence a little with his hip. Mikan was appalled.

Oh, he is _so_ dead.

She waited a bit longer, until he was past her, then cried loudly, "Kill, Natsume!"

The boy turned around at the sound of her voice, but Natsume was down the step in one bound. He jumped over the fence and in the blink of an eye was in midair, prepared to tackle the boy. "Score!" Mikan cheered happily. That boy was so dead! There was absolutely nothing he could do, and he definitely could not—

—pick up a thick branch and slap Natsume with it! Oh, yeah, _he could not._

Natsume yelped and dropped like a stone to the ground where he lay motionless. Mikan screamed. "Natsume!"

The boy dusted invisible dust off of himself and then glanced at Mikan, who had done a pole-vault over the fence and now bent over the dog while tears rushed like waterfalls out of her eyes. She looked up at him with a horrible glare.

"You killed him!" she shrieked. "You stupid ass, you lame bastard, you—" She continued to spout colorful language like this, well aware of the neighbors who were now peeking through their curtains with disgusted looks on their faces while the boy looked at her with an emotionless expression like he had no idea what he had just done, that he had just killed her best friend, the only one that understood her, the—

"You killed Natsume!" she finished after a long swear fest. The boy gave her a weird look. Probably because he didn't know a ten-year-old girl could know that many swear words. "You killed my only pet, my most favorite pet in the whole world! My best friend! And you killed him! You fucking puppy murderer!"

The boy didn't know what to say, really. Because (in his perspective) he had been walking down the street to deliver a message to his aunt from his mother, and out of nowhere someone screamed his name, along with the word "kill" and he turned around and next thing he knew he was about to get jumped by a dog. Instincts just told him to pick up anything and swing.

"He was only a little puppy! What's you're problem, killing other peoples' pets?"

Finally he was able to speak, and he said in an emotionless voice, "Was I the one who decided to try and have the dog kill someone?"

"But you're the one who touched my fence. You're the one who decided to stroll up this street in the first place!" Mikan threw her arm to the right to emphasize her point.

"No duh, because my aunt lives here. It's not your street." He rolled his eyes.

"And, why did you even turn around?" Mikan went on like she hadn't even heard him. "You should have just kept on walking and let yourself get mauled like a good little boy! What's wrong with people these days!" She didn't even seem to be talking directly to him anymore, more like to herself but at him at the same time, which makes no sense and we shall dismiss it like nobody ever said anything.

"You called my name." The boy, who has now obviously been identified as Natsume, if you didn't know already, decided to just tell her this flat-out instead of going around in circles like what was happening now.

"I did not! I said 'Natsume'!"

"My name."

"It is not! I clearly said 'Natsume'!"

"Shouldn't I know what my name is, idiot?"

"Obviously you don't, because I know what I said."

"Yes, we know. You said 'Natsume'."

"Yes!"

"Which is my name."

After our beloved idiot grasped this in her mind, she stuttered, "W-well, I don't even know you, so why would I call you? Much less to tell you to kill!"

He shrugged and shoved his hands into his pockets. "Because you're crazy."

Mikan seethed. "What do you know, you're the fucking puppy murderer between us!"

Natsume rolled his eyes. "Whatever. Regrets to your dog." He strolled away from her while more tears ran from her eyes.

"_Kudos_ to you, fucking puppy murderer!"

* * *

Dammit. Summer ended too soon. Natsume threw his arm back behind his chair lazily, finding himself once again locked in the brick prison they called a school. With any luck, with all of the fangirls dripping all over him and annoying teachers and whatnot, he'd have an easy year.

"Attention!" the teacher called. "We have a new student. Please welcome Sakura Mikan."

_Huh_. Whaddaya know, just another fangirl to ooze over him like tree sap.

And then he actually focused on the girl who was standing next to the teacher, with auburn pigtails and a sweet smile, the girl who now had a venomous look on her face and was strolling in his direction, the girl who looked awfully familiar—

"Hey, fucking puppy murderer."

_Aw, shit.

* * *

...You all probably saw that one coming._

_So! This was my little random drabble I came up with when thinking about dogs. I love dogs. Really. When I get a dog I'm gonna train it like Mikan did. :D Which I know sounds sadistic._

_Has anyone ever heard about the people and the dogfights? Them abusing dogs and throwing them off of rooftops and stuff? That made me so sad. :( I wrote this for dogs everywhere! (Even though the dog in this dies.)_

_And I was getting out of hand, so I just ended it there with a cliffhanger. *dun dun dun dun*_

_But anyways. It was pretty good. :)_

_Soooo...could you review, pleasies? :))_

_~Ariisha-chan_


	27. Beyond Broken

**Title:** Beyond Broken

**Inspiration:** _Chapter 133 of Gakuen Alice. :'( Sad._

**Spotlight:** Mikan and Natsume

**Genre:** Angst

* * *

_Just look at his face._

It's there. He's sending it to her, with the telepathy. A mix of emotions, swirling around and around. And as much as she wants to, she can't just turn and run like she has to.

She can't just leave him like that.

It would be too cruel. Too much. And she can still hear him calling her name. _Mikan._

_Mikan._ That's all she can hear.

But she can feel everything else.

And she's just standing there. Looking into his eyes, those crimson eyes she couldn't bear to not see every day. She can't look at him like this. She can't look at him _when_ he's like this. Especially not when there's something burning inside of her, an urge to say screw the rules, screw all of this, and just run with him.

It's almost like an out-of-body experience, feeling the pain that he had to feel and the tears that he never cried. And it was always for someone else's sake, not his own.

_There's no way someone could be _this_ unselfish..._

And there it is, rising in her chest again. It seems like the whole background just melts away and all she can hear is this little cry inside her head, these emotions she can't describe, and the burning that was scorching a hole in her heart.

But now she knew how he felt inside.

He was beyond broken, and there was nothing she could do for him but to run and stay alive.

* * *

_Short-short. :P_

_Umm, as I previously stated, I got the idea for this after reading Chapter 133 of Gakuen Alice. I swear, if you are a crier, that will definitely make you cry. I never cry while reading sad things, but that made tears well up in my eyes that almost fell. D: Ugh._

_I took a long break from angst, yet here I am again. :P_

_But anyways._

_Review for the sake of Mikan and Natsume! D:_

_~Ariisha-chan_


	28. You Said WHAT Now?

**Title:** You Said WHAT Now?

**Inspiration:** _Funny lies and getting found out. :))_

**Dedication:** Irreplaceable Joy [who helped me come up with this funny idea for a bunch of lies] and NatsuMikanAnimeAddict [whom I haven't gotten to chat with AT ALL]. Enjoy!

**Spotlight:** Mikan and Natsume

**Genre:** Humor

* * *

_Ding dong._

Mikan's head swiveled around from her frantic pacing around the kitchen at the sound of the doorbell. Nearly tripping over her own two feet, she ran to the door and swung it open.

Then she screamed, "NATSUME _FREAKIN'_ HYUUGA!"

The raven-haired boy winced at the pitch of her voice. "Was the insulting middle name necessary?" He brushed past her and threw himself down on the couch.

Mikan put her hands on her hips. "YES, the insulting middle name was definitely necessary. Care to hazard a guess at how you earned it?"

"Enlighten me."

"The enlightenment, dear Natsume, involves a call at three-FRICKING-thirty in the morning, stating that you _smacked someone on the head_ with a BRICK!"

_Damn. They called?_

Natsume looked up, raising an eyebrow but saying nothing.

"After you PROMPTLY walked into a restaurant, ordering takeout, then running out without paying, and when the manager grabbed you you STABBED him with a _FORK_!" She went on, "Then after he fell down writhing in pain the busboy tried to stop you and you turned around and ka-_BAM_!" Mikan swung her hand around to emphasize her point.

"Hmmm. Stealing food, utensil abuse and beatings with bricks," Natsume mused. "Are you sure that was me?"

"Unless there are more than one Natsume freakin' Hyuugas, I think it was. You..." She took a deep breath. "How do you think it makes me feel to get a call from the police station at three-thirty in the morning after my twenty-one-year-old boyfriend left six hours ago, promising to come back soon? And where the hell do you find a brick out of nowhere, huh?"

"I don't know. How do you think it makes me feel to have my twenty-year-old girlfriend ragging on me the minute I walk in the door when I was gone for six hours?" He didn't bother to answer the last question.

"I THINK IT FEELS HORRIBLE!" She hefted the remote at his head. He leaned over and dodged it. "I nearly got a migraine worrying about you! Yeeeesh!"

"Please. You're such a mother."

Mikan popped a vein. "Then this would be the time that I ground you for all eternity." All of a sudden she broke down on the floor and burst out crying. "You...you told me that you were going out to buy me a new nightgown and some pizza for dinner! Then you come back and you smell like sweat, blood and rage! Do you know _anything_ about buying nightgowns and pizza that involves sweat, blood and _rage_?"

"Comparing prices and sales." Natsume rolled his eyes. "You don't have to cry about it."

"But you LIED to me! You could have at least TOLD me that you were going to snatch takeout and kill someone! You could have at least let me TRY to stop you!"

"Gee. Now why would I do that?" he said sardonically.

Mikan cried harder. "_Because you care about me!_" she wailed. "WHY is all I want to know!"

"For dinner." He deadpanned.

"SHUT UP!" She threw her slipper at him. "I don't know why I ever dreamed of marrying you!" She ran out of the room and bounded up the stairs. A second later there was a thump and Natsume knew she'd fallen up the stairs again and he sighed. Then a door slammed.

_A typical late night with Mikan Sakura: screaming, tears and satirical backtalk with lies._

* * *

"Oi. Open up. I even went through the trouble of getting you some howalon instead."

_Sniff._ "I still hate you."

* * *

_:P_

_I'm having a bad case of writer's block but I managed to get past it and write this. Sorry that it's short. I'll make my next one longer._

_I know it's OOC. I tried to make it funny but I lost my sense of humor around the middle. XD_

_Ideas! I need ideas! Help me, people!_

_Oh, and review while you're at it. :)) Please._

_~Ariisha-chan_


	29. How Should I Feel?

**Title:** How Should I Feel?

**Inspiration:** _Monster_, Meg & Dia

**Dedication:** I've Perfected Imperfection, who is my super awesome mega-cool friend who you should meet because she rules. If you're reading this, Joy, YOU RULE! And, as well, for Mikame15, who inspired me to rewrite this to fit the title and get over my previous years of immaturity. :P

**Spotlight:** Mikan and Persona

**Genre:** Tragedy

* * *

_Run for dear life._

_Cling to fear._

_Stay alive._

I raced through the forest, tripping over the occasional rock and slapping branches and underbrush out of my way. Snowflakes fell gently from the sky. I was bruised, beaten, and wanted to fall down and take a long nap. But I couldn't. As much as I wished to, I just couldn't.

Because _he_ was behind me.

**_His little whispers_**  
**_Love me, love me_**  
**_That's all I ask for_**  
**_Love me, love me_**

And I had a distinctive feeling that if I did, I would be taking a permanent dirt nap.

Yet, as exhausted as I was, I kept up my brutal pace, afraid that the slightest lag or one wrong step would have him within arm's reach of me, and then I would be done. Crashing through anything that was in my way only weakened me more.

The only problem was, I was numb.

Numb with fear. Numb with the bitter cold. Numb with everything. And the only thing I felt was the small sack that I held in my hands, the small sack that held what _he_ wanted in it. I could hear their clean collisions slightly as I rushed on ahead. I heard the roar of the blizzard in my ears, but I couldn't hear him coming.

I took the daring chance and looked back, and it was completely dark. I couldn't see anything, and I definitely couldn't see him...but I knew he was there. Like a shadow, silently following me.

He was there. I could sense him.

_**He battered his tiny fists to feel something**_  
_**Wondered what it's like to touch and feel something**_

Of course like any stupid person would, I looked back a tad too long and then crashed into a tree that I happened to not see. Unable to regain my balance, I fell down on my side in the freezing snow that almost smothered me. Coughing and sputtering, I pulled myself up by my elbow and ignored the small ice crystals that clung to my heavy winter jacket that, somehow, wasn't keeping me warm.

_**Monster**_  
_**How should I feel?**_  
_**Creatures lie here**_  
_**Looking through the window**_

_Get up_, I silently begged my body, trying to bend my frozen muscles, but they didn't obey. And I could hear his footsteps approach silently closer, feeling his sickening presence growing nearer, even in the snow-filled pitch darkness.

No, I mouthed silently to myself, and struggled once more to get up, to no avail. Bloody hell, he's coming closer...

Using whatever I had left, I yanked myself up, managing to stand upright and put one foot forward. But my muscles went on complete lockdown when I heard that voice, that hideous, taunting, fear-inducing voice, mock, "Can't you go any faster?"

_**That night he caged her**_  
_**Bruised and broke her**_  
_**He struggled closer**_  
_**Then he stole her**_

I turned around slowly, half-shivering because of the cold, my bottom lip trembling against its will. My hand touched the pouch in my pocket again, more for comfort this time than to make sure of its presence.

There he was, nearly melting into the darkness, a look of ferocious victory on his face.

"Finally caught up, eh?" I asked, managing to keep my mouth under control despite the fact that I could barely move it. "I thought I was going to have to slow down and check to see if you'd managed to keep following me..." I pushed my frozen tongue out and licked my stiff, chapped lips. "...or if you'd gotten lost in the snow like a little boy."

The smile on his face wavered for a minute, and was finally replaced with a deadly frown.

**_Violet wrists and then her ankles_**  
**_Silent pain_**  
**_Then he slowly saw their nightmares were his dreams_**

"For a weak brat, you really do talk too much," he said, allowing the hints of a smile to reappear on his face, to scare me or warn me, I didn't know which. "Why don't you just hand over those stones I know you have and we can be on our way, without me having to kill you?"

"I don't know what you're talking about," I said dumbly and stubbornly.

"Nonsense," he said, taking a step forward, arms spread out in an innocent gesture, the menacing smile still on his face. "You wouldn't have been running if you didn't know what I speak of, would you?"

"You're going to kill me anyways, whether I have them or not."

"Oh, but I know you do." He turned his palms up in mock question. "And what does it matter to you if you die here or not? Whether it's by me and my Alice..." He waved an arm in an indication of the area around us. "...or by the bitter cold snow causing hypothermia?"

The words fell out of my mouth before I could stop them. "I don't want to die here. I want to live."

"You're going to die, you idiot Nullification girl," Persona said, smiling a full smile now. I knew he was taking a sick, sadistic pleasure in my pain. "You're going to die right here, right now. Imagine how grief-stricken your friends will be to hear of your tragic death that easily could have been avoided. I guess that's one of the reasons why you're an idiot."

_I won't..._

"...Lose..."

"Hm?"

_I won't let you do this to me!_

"Why do you do this?" I suddenly started ranting. "Why do you take away peoples' happiness, and replace it with loathing and sadness? Why do you make this be a world of hate for people who are just a bit different than everyone else? Why do you use and abuse people?" He simply smirked as a reply, but I went on. "I...I hate you. I hate you more than I've ever hated anyone. And I'll never, ever forgive you for this!"

"You're just one less person who I need to impress," he said, taking another step forward. I took a step back to measure his and turned halfway to the side, showing that I could easily bolt and start the long chase over again. "There's no use in running. You're too weak. You'll never make it."

"Oh yeah?" I rasped. "Watch me."

With that I took off, breezing past him, and the chase started again.

**_Monster_**  
**_How should I feel?_**  
**_Creatures lie here_**  
**_Looking through the window_**

I ran out of breath before I'd even made it half of the distance I'd been running before, and he easily caught up.

"See?" he said victoriously as I bent over double, gasping for air. "The game is over. You lose, Nullification girl."

"No," I gasped. "The game is over the minute my life leaves my body and you have what you want. The time that you win is when the uproar about this is over and you, yourself, are still intact, physically and mentally."

His smile melted away, though a trace of pleasure was still in his eyes. "And it is a shame that you won't be alive to see it."

"You're not going to win this and you'll never win," I said, and on a whim I dug my hand into my pocket and grabbed the pouch, whipping it out. I poured all of the stones out into my shaking hand and threw them as hard as I could over my shoulder. I heard soft sounds as they hit objects out of view.

His smug look was completely gone. I knew that he needed those in order to call his mission complete and return to the Academy. Now he couldn't. "What a shame. Now I'll have to kill you."

"O-_kay_. Just mark it down as another murder and be on your way." I was getting a little too ballsy, even to myself.

He gave me a menacing leer. "That's rich, coming from a brat that knows nothing about the real darkness you claim to have seen."

"Because I have," I replied. "Murder out of betrayal is the worst kind of murder, after all. You killed my father...my own father, before I even knew him. But you wouldn't know what that felt like, would you? Because you have no idea who _your_ parents are."

I saw him struggle to control the rage that overcame him. "Brat..." he simply hissed, seething.

"It's not my fault that everyone you've gotten close to chose to and has betrayed you," I wheezed, feeling a frigid numbness taking over my legs and traveling upwards, filling my veins. "If I die here, I'll be missed. No one will miss you if you never appear again."

As his face molted into an expression of pure hatred and fury, the one he'd obviously been desperately trying to hold back, I finally realized my advantage here. My only weapon was my words. It was the only one I needed. What I could say would cut deeper than a knife, and cause more pain than one.

**_I will_**  
**_Hear their voices_**  
**_I'm a glass child_**  
**_I am Hannah's regrets_**

"You killed my father," I repeated. "In the seconds before he died, he could have hated you. He could have told you that he'd never forgive you for taking his life over something that wasn't even true. But he didn't, did he? He forgave you. He understood. Imagine how he'd feel if he saw this. Do you think he'd like that?" I took a step forward involuntarily, and out of shock he stepped back.

This was the reaction I wanted.

"I can and I will hate you when and if I die," I continued, staring him in his eye. I was still scared, but if I acted scared then I'd probably die sooner. "Because that's what this whole game is all about, isn't it? Hate...and the hated. Forgiveness...and the forgiven. Winners...and the losers."

**_Monster_**  
**_How should I feel?_**

I was finished with mocking him. This would be what really ticked him off.

"You don't have to do this anymore, Serio," I said quietly, allowing my voice to falter and tremble as the cold spread in my body, coursed through my veins and consumed my muscles and brain. "You can end this now. You can stop leading this life."

He convulsed in rage at the use of his name. "Shut up, little girl," he growled. "Someone as naive and arrogant as you wouldn't know anything."

"I know enough, _Rei_," I continued, purposely using his first name, "to know that this isn't right, and that you still have time to change. You can be the start of the end of this cycle of hate and help to start a new beginning." I held my hand out and managed to smile. "With me. With us. Not as Persona, but as Rei Serio."  
He'd had enough. "Shut up! Shut up! Shut up!" he screamed, and closed the distance between us with four long and surprisingly quick strides, grabbing my arm roughly.

**_Turn the sheets down_**  
**_Murder ears with pillow lace_**  
**_There's bath tubs_**  
**_Full of glow flies_**  
**_Bathe in kerosene_**

I closed my eyes and smiled as a warm, painful feeling coursed through me and tears dropped on my hand.

**_Their words tattoed in his veins, yeah..._**

* * *

_There you have it. Rewritten and tragedy to its very core._

_Somewhat._

_Whatever. Tell me if you like it!_

_~Ariisha-chan_


	30. Price: One Kiss

**Title:** Price: One Kiss

**Inspiration:** *sits at computer with bowl of instant ramen* Ramen... *looks up* Oh, hello there.

**Dedication:** KidTantei [_pal! *claps hands*_] and foxtrotelly [_big sis! *runs with arms outstretched*_] for many things, so many I cannot count.

**Spotlight:** Mikan and Natsume

**Genre:** Romance/Humor

* * *

"Natsume..."

Natsume moved the manga off of his face and looked at the cheery brunette. "What, Polka."

She ignored the nickname, but smiled brightly and said, "Natsume...will you come to Central Town with me?"

He raised an eyebrow. "Are you asking me on a date?"

"No!" Mikan waved her hands as her face went red. "I don't want to go by myself."

He put the manga back on his face. "Go ask Imai."

"She's busy. She doesn't want to come. Please?" she begged.

"No."

"Please!" Mikan bent down and lifted the manga by the corner. "I hate going places by myself. I need company!"

"No."

Mikan flopped down and pouted. "Asstard. We can't be friends anymore."

Natsume lifted the manga off of his face again. "What does me being an asstard have anything to do with us being friends?"

"Well, you know. In case asstardiness is contagious."

Natsume rolled his eyes.

"Really!" she insisted. "You don't want me to become an asstard too, do you?"

Natsume wanted to laugh at the thought, but instead he rolled his eyes again and sat up. "Fine."

"Fine what?"

"I'll go to Central Town with you."

"You will?" Mikan said excitedly.

"But on one condition." Natsume held up a finger.

"Sure, what is it?" She clapped her hands and giggled excitedly.

He smirked. "You have to kiss me."

"What?" Mikan gasped just as he leaned over and pressed his mouth against hers.

She reared back and blushed, and Natsume smirked again and stood up.

"All right. Let's just get this over with," he said in a bored tone and strolled away. Mikan scrambled to her feet, still blushing but smiling a bit, and trailed after him.

_A kiss is a small price to pay,_ she thought.

* * *

"Natsume!"

"What, Polka."

"Can you come to Central Town with me again? I need to buy some howalon!"

"Sure."

"Really?"

"But you have to pay the price."

"Which is...?"

"You should know by now." Smirk.

"...Is this gonna be some sort of new routine or something?"

Smirk again.

* * *

_*runs in slow motion with arms outstretched and corny music playing in the background* MikanxNatsume! I never knew how much I missed writing drabbles for them. *ignoring the fact that her last five drabbles were MikanxNatsume drabbles and knows that she needs to get a grip*_

_Anyways, I feel much much better. A lot more cheerier. Stress relief! *flexes fingers*_

_And I know this was retardedly fluffy and pointless and sort of stupid, but oh well._  
_Don't really have much to say anymore, so I'm gonna jump. Oh, and before I go, reviews are cookies. Yummy choco-chip ones. I could use one. Pleaseee, can I get a review? :D (goal: get more than one hundred!)_

_Thanks for reading!_

_~Ariisha-chan_


	31. Winning Everyone Over

**Title:** Winning Everyone Over

**Inspiration:** Because I'm a moron, yeah!

**Spotlight:** Narumi

**Genre:** Humor

* * *

Narumi walked into class one morning.

"Good morning, class!" he chirped.

No one answered. A few people groaned. Only Mikan stood and replied cheerily with, "Good morning, Narumi-sensei!" before Natsume smacked her in the back of the head and said, "Oi, Polka. Sit down. Don't greet the gay man."

Narumi pouted. "I'll win you all over, just you wait!"

* * *

The next morning Narumi walked in.

"Good morning, class!" he chirped.

"Good morning, Narumi-sensei!" they all chirped back.

Having the Human Pheromone Alice was _so_ good.

* * *

_Pointless random tidbit about Narumi. XD I've been thinking about it for ages._

_Except I had to make it longer. It was so short before. And you see I still managed to shove Mikan and Natsume in there somehow! XD WIN._

_Narumi is so unfair. XD If only he realized he could just do this every day. Of course, everyone would hate him even more, buuuuut..._

_I posted this before I posted the other one 'cos I just felt like it. Besides, I wanted to save the best for last. Heh. :)_

_You can shoot me now. Just review, then fire. :)_

_Thanks for reaaaaaaaaading._

_~Ariisha-chan._


	32. Bang

**Title:** Bang

**Inspiration:** 'Cos I felt like it and I'm overrated. No explanation is necessary.

**Dedication:** EVERYONE, YOU HEAR ME? ALL of the people *sweeping arm motion* who helped me get to 100 reviews. You guys are WIN. I LURVE YOU ALL. :DD Expect a new fic coming that shall be dedicated to all of you guys' wonderfulness. :3

**Spotlight:** Hotaru and Ruka. Why? Because I haven't written for them in forever. Expecting a MikanxNatsume drabble? (_*Sowwieee...*_) Wrote way too many.

**Genre:** Bad-assedness is not a genre, so I shall have to settle with Romance/Humor.

* * *

_The fucking Imai girl._

Usually when Nogi Ruka heard that name, it always had an adjective like that in front of it.

The most feared girl in the city. And not because she were the richest, most powerful girl anyone had ever seen in the junk heap, because she wasn't. She _herself_ was frightening. The way she stood perfectly, the way she glared at people icily, the way she moved about, silent and scary. What a person like her was doing in a slummish city like this was beyond anyone when where she truly belonged was on the cover of the next hit magazine.

Though she had the attitude, she lacked in the bills. When you hear _Imai_, _poor_ is probably the last thing that comes to your mind. She wasn't necessarily...poor, per say, just not exactly rich. She didn't have enough to "get out of this ass dump", as she put it. In fact, she lived in the scariest part of town, where all of the dealers and gangsters and prostitutes lived. 'Course, she didn't have to worry. They were scared of her anyway. Even the worst gangs were scared of her.

People said, "Someone needs to stand up to the fucking Imai girl."

That's where Ruka fit into the puzzle.

He was used to this kind of life. His parents' death led him here. He was here because he was saving. Saving up so one day, he could leave and live the life he dreamed of having. He'd always read that rich, famous, well-known and well-liked people had to go through the worst hardships to get to where they were. Well, he figured, this was just where he'd have to deal with it.

But he didn't fit Imai into the sum either.

* * *

It was a simple walk. Really easy to understand.

Ruka was bored. Plus the neighbors were making..._those noises_ again, so he decided to get out of the house and get some fresh air. As he stepped out of his room in the apartment he lived in, he didn't bother to lock the door. It didn't matter anyways. There was nothing to steal that was worthwhile, and surprising as it sounds, thieves were rare in these parts.

His long walk, somehow, led him downtown and through an alleyway. He was a curious guy, and he liked a good adventure now and then. But if he had known what would happen next, he'd have turned back while he had the chance.

As he walked through a run-down archway, he noticed something dangling down. Upon closer examination, he saw it was a 500 yen coin. Just _hanging_ there. And of course the temptation to grab was just too much, so he shrugged and reached for it...

_And felt cold metal to the top of his head._

A cold voice from above said, "You thought you could get away with stealing my money? You must be retarded."

Ruka looked up slowly and saw a girl with cold amethyst eyes and raven hair wearing loose jeans and a tank top with a leather jacket over it in a crouch, on a little ledge in the archway, and only one name pulsed through his mind.

_The fucking Imai girl._

She lazily jumped down, putting the coin on a string in her pocket but still pointing the gun at his head. "You don't look familiar, though. What's a brainless fuck like you doing in these parts?"

He was at a loss for words.

In all of his years living here, there was a single emotion he was unfamiliar with. Because he practically never felt it, no matter who or what he saw. Of course, no one had ever whipped a gun out so freely on him before either. But that one emotion he never felt he was feeling plenty now, and it was _fear_.

She wasn't ugly. She was actually really pretty, save for the lazy slouch and violent attitude. Other than that, she could even be qualified as beautiful.

"Well?" She pressed the gun harder against his forehead. "Say something, you chickenshit."

He opened his mouth and stammered, "W-well, what do you want me to say?"

Hotaru chuckled. "Gonna piss your pants?" she mocked. "Well, whatever," she said when he didn't reply and pulled the gun back. "The name's Imai, Imai Hotaru, as if you didn't know that." She gave him an intimidating stare. "And you?"

"N-Nogi Ruka," Ruka managed to get out.

"_Ruuuu_-ka." Hotaru turned his name over in his mouth like it was candy. Terrified as he was, Ruka had to admit he liked the way she drawled his name out like that. "You'd better not let it leak about this and we'll be just fine."

"Y-yes." Ruka nodded vigorously. As much as he tried to keep up a reputation as a guy to not be messed with, it was worth it all crashing down to not be killed on the spot by this girl.

Hotaru's eyes rolled from side to side for a few seconds before they settled back on him. "You know, you're amusing. You're a chickenshit, but not like these chickenshits." Her finger rolled in a circle to indicate the street. "And you're obedient and honest, which obviously won't get you anywhere, but you seem pretty all right."

Ruka couldn't see where this was going.

"Look, I'm probably being a dumb bastard by doing this, but..." She pulled a piece of paper out of her pocket and handed to him. "Meet me on that address, four 'o clock sharp." She glared at him. "Be late and I'll gun you down the minute you walk in."

"Ummm, okay. Thanks." Ruka looked at the paper. "But why so late?"

"Weekly patrol." She gave him a creepy grin. "Can't let the cops see me." She turned and walked away. "See ya, shortie."

Ruka simply stood there, eyes travelling from the paper to her retreating figure.

He wasn't sure that it counted as standing up to the fu— Imai Hotaru, but it was pretty damn close.

* * *

_BAM! Lookit that drabble sizzle!_

_As you can see I am in a much better mood. Otherwise I wouldn't have gone out of my way to write something as overrated and colorfully languaged as this. But who cares! It's HotaruxRuka and it's overrated! What more could you ask for? (Idk on the title though...)_

_Anways, I know two things. One: it's OOC. Two: it sounds sososo unlike them. Refer to the comment made beforehand to see how I feel about that._

_THIS is the one I dedicated for everyone. Seriously, guys, you have NO IDEA how much this means to me. I really appreciate this. A lot. Even if I said thanks a million times, it would not compare. :)_

**_(Ariisha knows that this was not an appropriate drabble for showing thanks.)_**

_So review? Pwease? :3_

_Thanks for reading and peace out!_

_~Ariisha-chan_


	33. Ignite the Oddity

**Title:** Ignite the Oddity

**Inspiration:** The result of wanting to write more of last chapter and watching too many episodes of Soul Eater. D: Son of a—

**Dedication:** IndigoGrapefruit, for your review last chapter. EVEN THOUGH I DON'T REALLY KNOW YOU, I LOVED YOU FOR IT.

**Spotlight:** Take a stab at it, why don't you. (You'll all probably get it right anyways, so there's no point. LOL)

**Genre:** Sigh...this did NOT turn out the way I expected. So I'll stick with Romance/somewhat Angst.

* * *

His life had officially started the minute the sun went down, years ago.

**[IGNITE·THE·ODDITY]**

_Murder._

The word brings fear to people's souls. To him, it was like using an average everyday word. It was nothing new, completely average. However, he knew it wasn't. Blood, blood, blood running everywhere wasn't _average_. He wasn't killing for sport. It was to fill the gap in his heart, and he couldn't stop. He wasn't going to do anything about it.

He _refused_ to do anything about it.

In a way it was fitting. He was like an empty vessel. From the moment he fired the gun to the moment the body went limp he felt nothing. Then the person's eyes were dull and they were empty too. And he didn't feel so lonely anymore.

When in truth he was as lonely as he'd ever be.

**[IGNITE·THE·ODDITY]**

_Murder._

Lately there were a lot. It had gotten the town really riled up. It was advised to stay indoors during midnight and after hours since that seemed to be a favored time. Not that it mattered, because all anyone wanted to do when they thought they had failed in life was die.

_Murder._

It was supposed to bring fear.

To her, it brought a sense of ease.

She honestly didn't know why. The last thing she wanted to be was murdered. Everyone around her talked about how it would be coming soon, and it was depressing. The population was already thinning. But she had a slight suspicion, a suspicion about something...

That was why she went out anyways.

**[IGNITE·THE·ODDITY]**

He hated himself right now.

There was nothing he would have loved more than to just close his eyes and drop dead. But alas, he couldn't. He heard the sirens wailing in the distance and cursed under his breath, running fast through the alleyways as his mind repeatedly chastised him about what he'd done.

_He could still see the little girl's face...her eyes...wide in fear. Those eyes, suddenly going dull, and blood flying everywhere. He'd killed a child, a child that only wanted to grow up and smile. He had taken all of that away from her._

Guilt was a new feeling for him and he didn't like it.

Before he knew it he'd burst through the stifling darkness and was standing in the middle of a stone path, somewhat like a makeshift road. The moon was behind a cloud, giving the area a dark, eerie glow. And far ahead, a lone figure walked under a streetlight, the silhouette of a female no older than he was.

He didn't know why, but it reminded him of her. _The reason why he had even started doing this._

And without even thinking he ran forward and clasped his arms around her.

**[IGNITE·THE·ODDITY]**

For some reason she didn't scream for help. The reason was that she already knew who it was. As she heard him murmuring something under his breath and his grip tightened, she sighed, smiled and stroked his hand.

"It's been awhile, Natsume."

* * *

_CLIFFHANGER ROFL FTW_

_I bet you're wondering why those IGNITE THE ODDITY things are there. Well. I just felt like it. Nobody feels like using pointless lines to seperate everything._

_A little note: I wasn't feeling all angsty when I wrote this, I was so bored. But school starts in four days, and I want to plunge a straw into my veins and gulp the blood down like a milkshake. Creepy, I know. And I know another thing:_

_Since school will be starting I won't be as active and it may take me awhile to reply to messages. But I'll still be alive, don't worry. Lmao. I just wanted to let you know in advance._

_Anyways, I know I said you'd have to guess who the hell the people were. Guess what. I LIED. Hahaha. **(Okay, in truth the way I wanted the ending to be had to have one of the names revealed, and you'd already know the other one.)** And something else: I bet you're wondering how this has any relation to Soul Eater. That's the POINT. It was simply INSPIRED by it. **(That was another lie; the plot developed differently than I had anticipated.)**_

_This drabble sounds all old-time-y. I'm thinking WTF too, so don't worry.**  
**_

_Now I'm gonna have to write a part two for this. Damn._

_I'm feeling humorous though, so expect it maybe a chapter or two later. LOL_

_To finish up this uselessly long author's note, I am asking you to write a review. AND YOU WILL._

_...Just kidding. But seriously._

_Thanks for reading and have a good one,_

_~Ariisha-chan_


	34. Big Mouth

**Title:** Big Mouth

**Inspiration:** Actually this came to mind on the way back from a long trip, and I had to try my hardest not to forget it. XD

**Spotlight:** Sumire and Koko

**Genre:** Humor

* * *

"...So I don't know why the damn bitch had to get so bent out of shape about it!" Sumire Shouda painted her nails evenly, hand spread out on the table, while she continued to yammer away to Kokoro Yome, who was smiling politely but wanted to rip her throat out to make her shut up. "I mean, was it _my_ fault that she wasn't fast enough? She didn't have to go into a fit of rage, then go whine pathetically to her boyfriend like that..."

The girl had been blabbering about a stupid trip to the mall for three hours straight. Honestly, Koko didn't know how a thirty minute shopping trip could give you three hours' worth of things to talk about. He was normally patient, but Sumire was slowly clipping his nerves, one by one...

"I barely made it out of there alive." Sumire blew on her hands, then leaned back, satisfied at the result. "Everyone was jumping all over me, saying it was my fault, and that I should just hand over the damn bag, and I was like, 'Are you _insane_? I went through a _sea of blood_ to get this!' Well, not _literally_, but..." Sumire spread out the fingers on her other hand. "I might as well have. I mean, come on..."

_Five...four...three...two..._

"...who puts up that much fuss for a freaking _bag_? It wasn't made of gold or anything! There were plenty of other good bags in the store, so she could have just settled for one of those. I—"

"Sumire," Koko interrupted patiently, turning to Sumire with a smile. "Just _shut the fuck up_."

Sumire's jaw dropped as Koko stood up, still smiling, and walked away.

* * *

_LOL, Sumire got silenced. XD_

_Yeah, I know this is short and dumb, but who effing cares. Not me. Ha._

_So I know I've been ghosting for a super long time, and for that I apologize. And to KidTantei: I'm super mega sorry about the drabble I promised to write; I got writer's block on it and keep on writing all of this stuff before it. The next drabble will be the one I promised. All right? :) Thanks for being so patient._

_And to the rest of the world, a little note: I'm in the process of writing another multichaptered story. HOWEVER, unlike the other ones, this is one I'll be thriving to update. I swear. So if I don't update the other stories, it means I'm writing that story._

_I can't tell what it's about, though. ;) The only thing I can say is that it has my most favorite GA couple in the world in it. Lol. (You all already know who that is!) But I hope to get lots of reviews on it!_

_Lemme shut up now. XD Oh, and I almost forgot: can I have a review? :)) Pleeeeeeease?_

_Thanks for reading, peeps._

_~Ariisha-chan_


	35. Expectations and Realizations

**Title:** Expectations and Realizations

**Inspiration:** A challenge [the person who requested it is below]—make a "couple who I don't support" drabble! :D

**Dedication:** KidTantei, for putting me up to this challenge. To be honest it wasn't that bad. It was actually fun and a nice relief, after not writing for so long.

**Spotlight:** Sumire and Kitsuneme

**Genre:** Romance/Humor

* * *

Nobody forces Sumire Shouda to do anything she doesn't want to do.

However. When you have crazy friends like she did, everything they want you to do, you do.

_Lousy excuse,_ she thought as she looked into the bathroom mirror, adjusting her makeup and fixing her hair.

Outside the door, Sumire heard a voice call, "Sumire? You done yet?"

There was _no way_ she was going back out there.

Why? _One:_ Kitsuneme was out there. The object of her non-desire to leave. Her crappy friends had forced her into this gig just because she happened to be the only person who did not have a boyfriend yet in their little posse. Her love was, as usual, only for Natsume, but of course, he was dating Sakura. Damn. And her second choice, Ruka, was dating Imai. Double damn. She would have even gone for Koko or Yuu, but he was dating Anna. And Yuu was dating Nonoko. Triple, quadruple damn. Thus her being stuck with the only available person. Life's just so unfair sometimes, huh?

_Two:_ She looked a wreck. Totally. Sumire Shouda does not ever look a wreck. It's on the list of _Things Sumire Shouda Should Never Ever Look/Be Like_.

_Three:_ She had a desire to escape, but knew she could not because most likely Hotaru had her spy camera somewhere and was carefully watching to make sure she didn't try to sneak away, lest her having to correct her on a whim. But she really did not want to go on a date with someone she had no feelings for.

And don't get it wrong: Kitsuneme was hot, but he was _not_ her type. And definitely not dating material. He was funny, and he was nice, but come on now! Her dream date was with a hot guy, somewhere romantic, having oodles of fun, and ending the night with a wonderful kiss. She did not ever imagine inserting Kitsuneme as the hot guy or making the "somewhere" a club, partying the night away to loud obnoxious music.

The way things were going now, she was sure she definitely didn't want the last part of her dream date to happen.

There was a knock on the door this time, and Kitsuneme joked, "Done puking your guts out yet?"

"Shut up," Sumire snapped, running a tissue around her mouth to wipe up the excess lip gloss. She hadn't been _exactly_ puking her guts out, just...maybe felt a little bit ill. And ran to the bathroom to avoid puking her guts out all over the floor and embarrassing herself. That was definitely the last thing she needed.

Taking a deep breath and making sure she was a hundred percent ready, she turned around and briskly walked to the bathroom door, swinging it open and looking from side to side. Kitsuneme was leaning against the wall.

So much for wishing he'd leave before she did.

"Took you long enough." Sumire hit him with her purse and scowled. "I'm kidding, I'm kidding," he said, holding his hands up in mock defeat. It only made Sumire want to kill him more. She was irritated and pissed off and simply wanted to get this thing over with.

"Soooo..." Kitsuneme looked around. "What do you want to do now?" Sumire snorted.

"Please. We both know know we don't want to be here right now." Kitsuneme gave her a strange look. Sumire blinked. Why did he look so surprised?

"Never mind," she hissed, turning on her heel and marching towards a table in the corner with her nose in the air. Kitsuneme followed after her and watched as she whipped out her cellphone.

"I have to make a call," she said and he shrugged, sitting down opposite of her as she turned around and snapped it open, dialed a number.

_"Hellooooo?"_ a cheery voice answered.

"Don't play ass with me, Sakura," she snarled into the phone, hoping that the music was drowning her out so Kitsuneme couldn't hear. "Sumire Shouda does not like to be assed with."

_"Oh, hi, Sumire!"_ Mikan replied quite happily, much to Sumire's chagrin. _"Having fun?"_

"If your stupid self had been paying attention for the past half an hour, _NO_ I am not having fun. I was never having fun. If it was someone else, somewhere else, maybe I would be. But since it's not, sadly I am not a happy camper."

_"Hmmm,"_ Mikan teased, _"maybe if I let you talk to Natsume, would you feel better?"_

Sumire perked up against her will, and there was a snicker in the background on the other line. Then Hotaru's cold voice came through: _"Give me the phone, Mikan."_

_"Awww! But I'm not done talking to—"_ There was a _swish_ noise, and Hotaru started talking.

_"Shouda, listen. I don't care how you're feeling right now. You're going to go through with this. You may not call us to bitch about it, and you may definitely not bitch to Mikan about it. After all, you can only blame yourself that you're not attractive enough to have someone else slobbering after you,"_ she finished disdainfully. There was an _"Awwww, Hotaru~!"_ and Sumire sat there in shock as the line went dead.

_I hope Imai dies a horrible, gory death—_

Her phone rumbled signaling a text, and she looked down.

_Right now you are going to take Kitsuneme up to the balcony, and you are going to kiss him. And you are going to like it. Got it? Then you can leave._

Sumire stared at her phone for a long time. There was more rumbling.

_Failure to comply will result in your visiting of the morgue.

* * *

_"Why did you randomly drag me up to the balcony again?" Kitsuneme joked. Sumire ignored him and leaned against the balcony. The sky was a deep midnight color and the stars twinkled brightly, making a beautiful scene. Perfect and un-perfect at the same time.

It made her think about what Hotaru had said (texted, actually): _You are going to kiss him. And you are going to like it._

_Then you can leave._

Sumire could probably dream up a thousand good reasons why she shouldn't and wouldn't do the _K-word thing_ with Kitsuneme, all of them possibly having to do with non-affections and extreme dislike. But then she kept going back, the strange look on his face replaying over and over again when she said that they both knew they didn't want to be there. Maybe he did? And she was ruining it for him?

But then again, why should she care? She was only in this because of her friends and, in a way, for her own well-being, right? She didn't want anything to do with this, and she really had no concern for his feelings. Yet to be honest, deep in her heart of heart of heart of hearts, she actually did. Even when it was presented to her in this not-so-awesome way.

As much as she didn't want to, it was her only key to escape from this neon-lighted, music-blaring, bass-pumping hell.

_And to make him happy,_ her brain silently added without her permission.

Making sure that she was completely confident of the hidden camera's (wherever it was) watchful eye, she turned to Kitsuneme, forcing her mouth to tug up at the corner in a sexy smile but turning it into a real smile when she saw him turn towards her with question in his eyes.

"Kitsuneme...I have to tell you something."

* * *

"...And then she just kissed me out of nowhere!" Kitsuneme declared, banging his soda can down on the table, signaling the end of his long, epic tale of an unwilling date and shitty surroundings yet still getting something good out of it all. There was complete silence.

Koko blinked, then said, "That's some screwed-up shit."

"_You're_ telling _me_!" Kitsuneme threw his arms up in the air.

"He _is_ telling you." Ruka rubbed his temple. "I'm with _Hotaru_. I thought that was some screwed-up shit." He shuddered at the mere mention of the cold, stoic girl he's lucky to call his girlfriend and Natsume snickered, earning a glare from the boy.

Yuu nodded in agreement, remembering many past experiences with Nonoko and her weird obsession with science.

"But there's still the question..." Koko leaned forward. "...if she likes you or not."

All of the boys were quiet, considering.

Ruka shrugged. "To be honest, if you ask me I think she did it just to get away from you."

Kitsuneme raised an eyebrow. "Really?"

"Really."

"Because she never wanted to be there in the first place." Natsume leaned his head on his hand, finally deciding to join the conversation. "Face it, Kitsuneme. She _just doesn't like you_."

Yuu sweatdropped. "I'm sure she does, Kitsuneme," he said, patting him quickly on the shoulder.

Kitsuneme looked gloomy for a minute, but then his face lit up. "I know she likes me!"

Koko snorted. Nice friend. "Yeah? How?"

"Because afterwards, she..."

* * *

"...blushed, and my lips tingled!" Sumire squeaked nervously, ending her tale. All of the girls looked at her disbelievingly. "Be honest now! Do you really think I'm starting to like him?"

_Sumire Shouda,_ they all surmised, _is losing her mind._

Anna pressed her lips together. "If your heart started pounding, and you didn't run to the edge of the rail and barf, I think that means you do."

"I second that." Nonoko was playing a little handheld video game with her brow furrowed in concentration.

Sumire draped herself dramatically over her pillow. "_Noooooo!_"

_Sumire Shouda is definitely losing her mind._

"Aw, cheer up, Sumire!" Mikan said cheerfully, patting Sumire's back consolingly as Hotaru shot Sumire a look of disgust. "You finally have someone you like for real!"

"Natsume-kun and Ruka-kun _were_ for real," Sumire said, her voice muffled by the pillow. Mikan's nose wrinkled to almost perfectly match Hotaru's look of disgust.

"Denial..." Anna said in a singsong voice.

"Sumire, please," Nonoko said, still concentrating on the game. "I wouldn't worry. It'll be fine. Kitsuneme's every kind of hot."

Sumire looked up, eyes filled with dramatic tears. "You don't really mean that, do you?"

"Nope." Nonoko's fingers flicked over the buttons.

Sumire groaned and dropped her head back down into her pillow.

Hotaru rolled her eyes. "Listen, Permy," she said, causing the girl to snap her head up in protest and half-anger. "If it troubles you so damn much about one little incident it obviously means you like him. Get over it and stop bitch-whining about it. This isn't some kind of soap opera." Then her eyes flashed evilly and she put a hand on her chin. "Then again, this would be nice footage to sell to him..."

"Noooo!" Sumire wailed.

"Then here." Hotaru whipped out Sumire's cell phone from her purse and handed it to her. "Ring him up and ask him to hang out."

"B-b-but I can't, that'll be too weird and sudden..."

Hotaru gave her a glare. "I guess you'll just have to see that footage of you earlier at the club on a television at school, then, won't you." Sumire gave her a wide-eyed look and quickly took the phone, shakily dialing Kitsuneme's number and readying her voice. All of the girls looked at her excitedly—except Hotaru, who simply looked satisfied, and Nonoko, who was still busy with the handheld.

_"Uh-huh?"_ a voice said on the other end, that oh-so-very-familiar voice. Her heart nearly came out of her throat.

"Hey, Kitsu," she said sweetly, hoping he couldn't hear her heart's furious beat on the other end. "Wanna hang out?"

* * *

_La la la. This wasn't so bad, actually. It was actually really fun (despite the fact that it's a couple I don't support. But then again, who gives a crap?). It took me awhile to write it, though, because I had writer's block on it and ended up revising it and getting rid of like half of it to rewrite it because it was lame._

_I think my writing style has seriously changed. Reading Going Bovine seriously changed me, I think. My writing's gotten a lot better. Now all I feel like writing is stuff that'll give people the giggles._

_I've missed humor so much. I'm taking a break from fluff. Serious fluff, that is._

_Also, I totally abuse italics. Lol.  
_

_Now, since my duty has been fufilled, I'm going to leave and go watch a horror movie. Because these crickets won't shut up, and I'm getting a feeling that someone's watching me. I think it's the insanity, though._

_Review, please? :)) Tell me what you think!_

_Laters,_

_~Ariisha-chan_


	36. Mazes

**Title:** Mazes

**Inspiration:** Based on the chapters of GA when Aoi's Alice went wild and she was injured.

**Dedication:** Cha-Cha-Cheescake [my YouTube/FFN buddy who I actually owe the prequel to One Day and Wait A Little seeing as this is not a proper thing for thanks since it is angst ;D] and foxtrotelly [who seemed really down when I last talked to her, so I hope this cheers her up (somewhat)!]

**Spotlight:** Aoi

**Genre:** Angst

* * *

The scary thing about the maze she walked through in her mind wasn't the fact that she didn't know which way to turn.

No, it wasn't.

Although she didn't know which way to turn and she didn't know who to believe at each turn. Every time someone told her one thing, someone else came along at the next turn and told her a different thing. The only thing that was alike about all of it was that they all told her to believe them.

And not a one told her, _believe yourself_.

The only thing she could remember after her Alice incident was that she was walking through a long stretch of darkness. She had no idea where she was going; she just knew that the darkness went on and on and on, and no matter how fast she ran the darkness suffocated her even more, and no matter how loudly she called for help she couldn't find anyone to help her find her way. So she had walked and walked and walked until she saw a faint light in the distance and stopped.

_A trick?_

She cautiously approached and as she did she heard someone calling her.

_Aoi...Aoi...Aoi..._

She gasped. "I'm coming!" she called happily and ran, ran as the darkness began to slowly fade, ran out of the darkness and right through the light, stumbling into a maze.

_Maze._

Aoi had never been good with puzzles and mazes were no exception. She hated the way they went on and on, and how one tunnel that seemed to lead to another place was an illusion and inevitably led to a dead end. Most often she would end up cheating her way out, and that's how she figured this maze would be; she would just find a way to cheat and get out, and everything would be all right again.

What she hadn't bargained on was the fact that the walls were too high to climb, so that was a no-no; the fact that there were people she didn't recognize at almost every turn that knew her, pointing out a path that turned out to be wrong; the fact that she could still hear that voice calling her, _Aoi...Aoi...Aoi...,_ and she couldn't tell where it was coming from; the fact that she heard people screaming and doors slamming and someone talking to her and when she reached up into the air she could wrap her fingers around things, yet she couldn't see any of it.

And then suddenly there was a masked man at the corner, and he held his hand out to her.

"Do you need help?" he said, giving her a sly smile. "I will show you the way."

She was so desperate and didn't know who else could help her, so she took his hand and listened to him talk, telling her everything, filling in gaps she didn't know she had, yet the farther they walked and the longer she listened, the more people seemed to show up telling her the opposite of his words and the darker the light in the maze seemed to get. She couldn't ignore him, though, because everything he said sounded so believeable, and no one else was giving her directions to a better path.

But then when the maze was so dark it was like she was back outside in the real darkness, he let go of her hand and told her to stay put, and told her he would come back for her. So she stayed. And she stayed. And she stayed. And he never came back.

So she wandered on her own, and before she knew it, she was right back where she started, not knowing anything or anyone, and people she didn't know were still pointing out wrong directions but now she couldn't hear anything and could only feel roughness and coldness every time she reached out to touch something.

So the scariest thing about her mental maze wasn't the fact that she didn't know which way to turn.

The scariest thing was that she didn't know when she was finally going to get to the end.

* * *

_...I really don't know :D_

_I was gonna make this a one-shot but instead I figured since I haven't updated this in awhile I should just make it a drabble and post it here :P Strangely enough I wasn't feeling angsty when I wrote this; I'm actually quite neutral in the heart. :P_

_So anyways. Reviews pleasies? :)_

_Thanks for reading and have a good one everyone!_

_~Ariisha-chan_


	37. Let It Slide

**Title:** Let It Slide

**Inspiration:** The fact that Natsume's b-day was yesterday and I didn't have time to finish this, so it's sort of like a belated birthday present thing. -_-

**Dedication:** To those 50 people who have me on their favorite authors list! The halfway point XD (Totally irrevalant to the point of the writing of this drabble, I know.)

**Spotlight:** Mikan and Natsume

**Genre:** Romance/Humor

* * *

"_Achoo!_"

Ruka winced for the upteenth time at Mikan's soft sneeze and touched her arm. "Mikan, maybe we should just go back. He'll understand."

Mika rubbed her nose on her sleeve and smiled a big smile that tugged at the strings of his heart even though he knew it shouldn't have. "I'm fine, I'm fine!" she said, and absently pulled a box of plastic spoons off the shelf they were standing near and dropped them in the cart she was pushing.

Hotaru rolled her eyes. "You said that exact phrase the last ten times you sneezed, plus when you had a coughing fit in the flower section."

"Because I am fine!" she insisted, pouting and tucking her brunette pigtails behind her ears. "I don't know why you guys had to follow me here anyways! I could take care of this myself."

"Because you're Mikan Sakura and you're bound to screw something up or go overboard, especially at a place like a supermarket." Hotaru crossed her arms. Mikan simply turned away and mumbled, "I'm fine."

"Then why," Hotaru reached down into the cart and pulled out a bag of Jelly Bellies, "did you grab five bags of jelly beans when you know he's only going to eat the green apple, lemon lime and piña colada flavored ones?"

"Because...because..." She fidgeted, then said, "I could just seperate them or something—" "And spend five hours doing it?" "—and how do you know that?"

"You _told_ me." Hotaru shook her head, exasperated. "You called me up one day to complain about how you wasted your savings on a bag of cinnamon and coconut flavored jelly beans for Valentine's Day that _someone_ with raven hair and crimson eyes happened to not appreciate."

Ruka slid into the conversation before it took a turn for the worst. "The point Hotaru's trying to make," he said, earning a glare from the black-haired girl at the use of her first name, "is that it's sort of obvious you're not feeling well, so we should just go back home. If we explain it to him, I'm sure he'll understand."

"B-but it's his birth—_birth_—" Another sneeze. "Birthday!" she finally finished. "What kind of cold, heartless girl would skip out on her boyfriend's birthday just because she has a minor cold?"

"A cold, heartless girl who at least wouldn't be spreading her germs and causing him to get sick too?" Ruka suggested.

Mikan glared at him. "Shut up, Ruka-pyon."

"He has a point though," Hotaru cut in smoothly. "You want him to get sick too? Isn't that sort of shallow?"

"I'm not going to get anyone sick!" she yelled, picking up a packet of pretty pink invitations with ribbons on them and dropping them into her cart, wheeling ahead quickly and angrily, muttering to herself. "Jeez...I knew I should have come by myself."

Hotaru and Ruka looked at each other.

"You are aware that you just dropped a packet of pretty pink invitations with ribbons on them into your cart."

"Shut up, Ruka-pyon."

"He has a point though."

* * *

Mikan sneezed three times before she turned to Anna and said, "Could you make me a cake?"

Anna cringed and moved the jar of sample cookies on the counter farther away from Mikan. "Sure, Mikan-chan," she said, "but you sound awful. Are you sick?"

"I-I might be," she muttered, aware of the two people behind her staring holes into the back of her head. "I don't know."

Anna looked skeptical but only said, "What's the occasion?"

"Don't play with me, Anna!" Mikan screeched, hitting Anna lightly. "You _know_!"

"No, really, I don't—" Anna looked over her shoulder and saw Hotaru and Ruka. Ruka mouthed _Natsume's birthday._

"—I mean, of _course_ I was just playing around!" Anna giggled. "I'll get started on it right away!" She looked at Hotaru and Ruka, desperate for an add-on.

"But it might take awhile, so you should go wait in the car, Mikan," Hotaru said, stepping forward.

"Okay." Mikan turned and walked out of the bakery, shoulders hunched. As soon as the door bell tinkled signaling the door was closed, Anna leaned forward quickly.

"What the hell, guys." It was said in as low and deadly a manner as Anna could manage.

Hotaru shrugged. "We tried to stop her."

"So we offered to go with her instead." Ruka sighed. "She didn't listen when we told her Natsume wouldn't mind if she didn't do all of this because she was sick..."

"...But this is Mikan Sakura we're talking about," Anna finished, then heaved a long, drawn-out sigh. "Well. Does anyone know what Natsume's doing right now?"

"If I know my best friend, I'd say he's sleeping in because of birthday rights and laziness. Are you gonna start on the cake?" Ruka plopped down in a chair wearily.

"Yeah, I'd better." Anna looked at the clock and headed back into the kitchen. "If I hurry I'll be finished in the next two hours. Do you guys mind waiting?"

"No, it's fine." Anything's better than listening to Mikan sneezing up a storm in the car.

* * *

For some reason, he just woke up.

Natsume's eyes slowly opened and he sat up, first noticing the light throbbing in his eyes announcing the fact that it was midday and then noticing the fact that his cellphone, resting on the table beside his bed, was ringing like hell.

_Maybe that's what woke me up._

Not that he felt like answering it. He flopped back down on the bed and turned over on his stomach, burying his head under his pillow and letting the phone ring on. Of course he just couldn't get back to sleep, though, because he had the itching, nagging feeling he was forgetting something and that something was wrong. So he just listened to the phone ring it's merry way into silence, then start making those annoying ding noises signifying a text message.

After maybe ten seconds of this he was finally extremely annoyed and snatched the phone up, flipping it open. The texts were all from Ruka. Figures, he thought. The first message said _This._

_Is_

_To_

_Wake_

_You_

_Up._

_Fuck him._

Then the phone started ringing again, and Natsume saw no choice but to answer it. He pressed the button and held the phone to his ear.

"What?" he growled.

_"Good afternoon to you too."_ Ruka's voice came sarcastically. _"It's nice to hear you're finally awake."_

"It's nice to hear you've finally grown a dick," he retorted. "What do you want?"

There was a chuckle on the other end—Imai, from the way it sounded—and then Ruka, clearly offended, said, _"That's not the way to talk to someone who's reminding you of something you've obviously forgotten."_

Natsume frowned; there it was again. That something he was forgetting. The only question was, what could it...

"Fuck," he whispered—mostly to himself, but he heard another snicker on the other end anyways.

_"Seriously, who forgets when his own _birthday_ is?"_

"Shut the hell up, Ruka." Then, a second thought: "Where are you anyways?"

_"The bakery Umenomiya works at. Your girlfriend just ordered you a cake, sneezes and all."_

He frowned again. "What's that supposed to mean?"

_"Nothing. Absolutely nothing."_ Pure sarcasm.

On that note, he hung up.

* * *

"It's done!" Anna called, rushing back up front with a white box tied with a red ribbon. "It took a lot less time than I thought it would!" She set it on the counter and a muttering Ruka walked up and took it.

"I still can't believe he hung up on me like that," he mumbled, carrying the box out.

"I can," Hotaru replied. Ruka gave her an unsuccessful glare. "Thanks, Anna," she remembered to turn back and say to the pink-haired girl.

"You're welcome." Anna waved. "Good luck!"

When they got back to the car, Mikan was stretched out in the backseat, fast asleep. Hotaru kicked her leg none too gently.

"Get up," she said. "We have the cake."

"Whaaa...?" Mikan sat up and yawned. "Oh, you're done?"

"You're done," Hotaru corrected. "You're going back home now so you can prepare for this dumb party."

Mikan pouted but didn't argue.

* * *

"Whaaaaaaat? What do you mean, you can't make it!"

_"Sorry, Mikan-chan,"_ Nonoko said apologetically on the other end. _"I have to go to the library today. I'm meeting Yuu to study."_ There was a hint of embarrassment in the girl's voice.

"But—"

_"Why don't you just spend it with him alone?"_ she suggested. _"It'll make it even more special."_

"But—!"

_"Oh, no! It's past three. I'm going to be late! Sorry, but I have to go!"_

_Blip.

* * *

_

"You can't make it either?"

_"Sorry, dear,"_ Sumire said, sighing. _"As much as it pains me to miss Natsume-kun's birthday, I'm sure I won't get sued if it's just for this year. Besides, I have a totally yummy date with the newest clothing store that just opened up at the mall!"_

"You're missing a birthday party for _clothes_?"

_"Why don't you spend it with him yourself?"_ Sumire huffed. _"You're his girlfriend after all!"_

"That's what Nonoko said," Mikan complained.

* * *

"What do you _mean_ you're carrying Sumire's stuff?"

_"Whenever she goes on these shopping sprees, she always brings someone along to carry her stuff. And unfortunately today she selected me and Mochu,"_ Koko said remorsefully.

"..." Mikan bit her lip.

_"Crap, I can sense her evil permed aura coming closer. Sorry, but I gotta go."_

_Blip.

* * *

_

_Ring ring._

"What do you want now, Ruka?" Natsume said irritably as soon as he answered his cellphone.

_"Well, sorry for bothering you, but could you go out and pick up some cold medicine really quick?"_

"...Why?"

_"Trust me, you'll need it." Blip._

Natsume just looked at his phone.

* * *

As soon as he got back from the store, unlocked his front door and stepped inside his house Natsume heard sneezing and murmuring in the kitchen. _Here it comes._

He circled the corner and opened the kitchen door, wincing slightly, prepared to have confetti go everywhere, streamers blow into his eyes, and a large crowd yelling "Happy birthday" loud enough to make him go deaf.

What he hadn't planned on was seeing no one but Mikan standing there with her back to him, muttering something to herself.

"Polka Dots."

She jumped and turned around, and totally off-sounding, yelled, "Happy birthday!"

Natsume raised an eyebrow.

"I was wondering when you were going to get back," she huffed. "How long does it take to go out and get something?"

"So where's everyone else?" he asked, looking around, sure that they were probably hiding somewhere, just waiting for the right moment to jump out and kill him.

"Everyone was busy—" Sneeze. "—and they all suggested that I just spend it with you alone, so I said okay." Mikan wiped her nose on her sleeve and coughed, then smiled. "It's still gonna be fun, I assure you!"

"Polka." Natsume approached slowly, hesitantly. "Are you...sick?"

Silence. Then she sniffed, "Maybe."

"No, Polka. Not _maybe_. Are you sick?"

Mikan threw her arms up in the air. "All right, fine. I am sick. What's the big deal? I don't care. I'm here to make sure you have a fun birthday—" She approached quickly and walked up behind him, guiding him by his shoulders to a chair. "—and, dammit, you will. I mean it."

At least he now knew what the cold medicine was for.

Natsume sighed. "Polka..."

"No, don't try to change my mind." She held up a hand. "So what do you want to do first? Cake? Games? Singing? Whatever you feel like doing—"

Natsume grabbed her arm. "Polka."

"_What?_"

He pulled her down on to his lap in a hug and waited until she relaxed in his arms.

Then, he whispered in her ear:

"Shut up."

* * *

_...Yeah._

_This was due a day ago but I was too lazy to finish it. T_T Sorry Natsume._

_I actually based this off of the fact that I have a cold. XD So I thought it would be amusing if Mikan had a cold too. Lol._

_So it didn't end in total fluff...? Whatever. I was GOING to have her sneeze on him...but that would have been too much. Heh heh.  
_

_Ahem. Now I must go, because my bed is calling my name._

_Buuuut...it would make me muuuch happier if you left me a review? :3 Please? I would sleep so nicely.  
_

_Thanks for reading and peace out!_

_~Ariisha-chan_


	38. Perfectly Crafted Romances

**Title:** Perfectly Crafted Romances

**Inspiration:** Happy birthday, Mikan! (AND IT'S NOT LATE. YAY.)

**Dedication:** For everyone I haven't talked to in a long time :) You guys are in my thoughts! (Literally.)

**Spotlight:** Mikan and Natsume

**Genre:** Romance/Humor

* * *

Mikan Sakura_/Hyuuga_ **(****Mikan:** Get off, stupid!**)**

Everyone in the world does not have a perfectly crafted romance.

Hell, not everyone in the world has Alices, either. Not that having an Alice will get you a perfectly crafted romance. Or even a quarter of a perfectly crafted romance. And it won't get you on the road to one either.

**(****Natsume:** It sure as hell won't. **Mikan:** Shut up, Natsume.**)**

But having an Alice can, quite possibly, have an extremely handsome boy handed to you on a gold platter, coincidentally met through explosions and panty-snatching. (I sincerely hope neither of those happen to you.)

That's how I met Natsume Hyuuga.

I'm not saying having a wall blown up in my face and my polka-dotted underwear being ripped off of me was how I realized that I would soon fall truly, madly, deeply in love with this boy, and that having an Alice was the greatest thing that ever happened to me. In fact it made me loathe him with every fiber of my being (the panty-snatching part, not the wall-blowing-up part). And having an Alice pretty much sucks.

**(****Natsume:** This is already looking stupid. **Mikan:** It's my essay. I can say what I want. Shove off.**)**

Though I really should be thanking my Alice. I mean, without it I never would have met him.

You know how they say when you meet certain people, they can change your life in a way you'd never imagine? Well, Natsume took my life, threw it in a blender, turned the blender on high and turned it into a lifeshake to consume in a very ugly fashion.

**(Natsume:** That was a horrible metaphor. **Mikan:** Will you shut up?**)**

I'd never even considered love until after I came to Alice Academy. I had planned to go through life as the perpetual single girl, aka virgin, never to find a guy and fall in love and live the happily ever after la-di-da. **(Natsume:** At the rate you were going that plan was soon to be thrashed. **Mikan:** Are you trying to imply rape?**)** Of course, like every other little aspect of my life at that point, that changed too. I don't know whether it was my circumstances or my hormones acting up, but I was even thinking about who I'd want to marry. **(Natsume:** Oh, so you were thinking about marriage now? **Mikan:** Yes, now shove it.**)**

* * *

"Leggo my hand! How can I write when you're clenching my hand? And quit writing on my paper!"

* * *

Where was I? Oh yeah. I was thinking of love.

At first I thought that I just wanted to marry Hotaru, because she was my best friend and I loved her with all my heart. **(Natsume:** That's called being a lesbian. **Mikan:** Look, just because _you_ were gay with Ruka-pyon...**)** I never thought about guys. I thought that if I just had Hotaru, then everything would be all right. Once again, that changed too. After I'd settled into the Academy, I found out that I had a lot of choices, but two specific ones: I could either have the good guy, Ruka-pyon, or the "bad" guy, Natsume. **(Natsume:** What's with the quotes around "bad"? **Mikan:** Simple. You're not as bad as you try to percieve. **Natsume:** Says you. **Mikan:** The girl who's put up with you for five years.**)**

So, I didn't know who to pick, the seemingly nice guy or the obvious bad boy. **(Natsume:** Will you stop referring to me as "boy"? **Mikan:** Depends. Will you shove off?**)** I conspicuously leaned to the nice guy, but unknowingly I was going for the bad boy, otherwise known as Natsume. There. I used your name. Now put a sock in it.

Picking him was the start of my perfectly crafted romance.

It was also, unfortunately, when I learned that a perfectly crafted romance takes work.

But, on the fortunate side, I learned that when it came to me and Natsume, effort was not required, no matter how awkward it sounds. Because, for some profound reason, we just worked like that. Then again, nothing ever fucking goes right with us anyways, leading me to believe it's a less-than-perfectly crafted romance. But it still seems perfect to me nonetheless.

So that's how it began: hate, choices and eventually perfection and love. Hopefully it ends that way too—minus the hate and choices. The way things are right now, it's the last thing we need.

* * *

"Stop kissing my forehead, you jerk! You're distracting me!"

"I love you, you know that?"

Smile.

* * *

And to this day I'm still wondering what that pervert did with my underwear. He sure as hell didn't give them back.

* * *

_...I don't know, okay?_

_I had planned to write a story, but thanks to my poor time management skills and laziness, I just decided to write this instead. But honestly? It turned out better than what I was GOING to write. XD_

_It also turned out differently from what I'd had in mind when I wrote the first line. I don't know if that's a good or bad thing, so I'll just drop it. It's also poorly formed, because since there was various commentary throughout the "essay", I could barely keep track of what was going on half the time XD So I gave up on trying to make sense. I'm also aware that it's short. Guess what. No one cares. Ha. (Maybe I do. Leave me alone. I'm trying to be cool.)_

_:P I think that's all I have to say for now. So I'mma head out. :)_

_Oh, and reviews are lub. Could you give me one, pretty-please with sparkles and gummy bears and all forms of deliciousness on top? :3_

_Thanks for reading and stuffies,_

_~Ariisha-chan_


	39. Of Broken Promises and Losing Faith

**Title:** Of Broken Promises and Losing Faith

**Inspiration:** The true meaning of friendship, _"Forever means forever, right?" **-Of Photo Albums and Distant Memories**_ and marker scribbles on the back of thy hand. :P

**Dedication:** For everyone who's kept up with my drabbles till now :D Because I went back and read some of them, and I literally gagged. But you all have gotten past my suckiness, and are still reading up to this day, and for that I thank you!

And now I am specifically naming people: foxtrotelly, I've Perfected Imperfection, Irrevocable Truth, Mikame15, NatsuMikanAnimeAddict, The Lonely Crimson, Gothic-Neko-Writer. I MISS YOU ALL. I'm definitely thinking of you guys. :3 (Not in that creeper way. Definitely not in that creeper way.)

**Spotlight:** Sumire and Koko

**Genre:** Romance/Angst

* * *

Koko remembers Sumire Shouda more than anything in his life.

He remembers everything about her, from her dark-green hair that always curled delicately at the ends to her toes, sometimes red or pink, sometimes blue or turquoise, and sometimes even purple. Or every single one of those colors. He remembers her skin, nearly the color of porcelain with a hint of rose and soft and smooth with lotion. He remembers her figure, almost like a perfect hourglass, even though he constantly mocked her and called her fat. He remembers her usual stance, hip jutted out for a perfect place to rest her hand on while the other arm dropped, left foot turned a perfect 45 degrees. Her mouth is always either sneering or frowning, to fit her pose, with eyes narrowed but somehow smiling.

That isn't the only thing he remembers. He remembers her voice, annoyingly high-pitched when she wanted it to be and imposing, but with an undercurrent of kindness. Every time she'd spoken to him it was either to reprimand him or threaten him, but all he heard was the soft and kind part of her voice and saw, in her eyes, the hint of a smile. He remembers when they were kids and him getting beat within an inch of his life when he called her Demon Perm, or when he'd announce that her initals, S.S., stood for Sadistic Slut or Stupid Skank, but she never beat him up seriously. His many bruises and the fact that he was still alive was proof of that. He called her a stalker when she started the NatsumeRuka Fan Club and remembered getting lectured and pounded for nearly an hour. And after that he was still alive? If that wasn't friendship he didn't know what was.

What he'd gotten out of it, though, was the fact that she accepted him as a friend. No matter how many times she yelled at him or beat him up, she was still kind to him, even though she didn't apologize. Even when people asked if they were dating and she shrieked, "We're just friends, shut up!" that didn't change her attitude towards him. It didn't change her actions towards him either.

She never changed. That was what he'd liked about her.

* * *

He chortled when a few years later she announced that she wanted to start dating around and earned himself a nice slap upside the head that nearly brought tears to his eyes, but as she stalked away he couldn't help but think that he wanted to be the one that she wanted to date, or at least consider dating. All these years they had been friends—he was ready for more. Done with the term "just friends". Maybe it was time to turn it up a notch.

So that's what he went up and told her: _I want to date you._

She turned him down in an unsightly fashion. The next day, too. And the day after that. "Let's just be friends," she had said. He threw her a note in class: _Let me date you._ She threw it back: _NO_, written in all capital letters in her curly, large handwriting, underlined thrice. Koko couldn't help but harass her as he waited for her to cave, but Sumire was a stubborn girl, and didn't give in to harassment easily. The next couple of days after that she seemed to be doing her best to avoid him.

What had happened to "just friends"?

Finally he backed off, left her alone, since it seemed like that's what she really wanted. Koko just watched. He watched as she went around with other guys, flirting, laughing as she held their arms tightly. He bit his own lip as he watched hers collide with other ones in a sometimes chaste, sometimes deep and passionate kiss. It was funny, because she was loud and giggly with them, but when he saw her walking on her own she looked like a blank and empty vessel.

Sumire was unreadable. Koko had no idea what was wrong with her.

But he was used to waiting for what he wanted, and he was a patient person. So he tolerated her dating of so many guys he lost count, watching from afar in case she was to get seriously hurt but hurting himself more and more as time went on, as his hope slowly drained out of him until he felt he might give up entirely. He questioned his motives: why was he doing this? She didn't want him; she never would. He had no claim on her, so she could do whatever she liked. Just how much more of this could he take before he cracked?

Not much.

It seemed to go on and on in a continuous cycle like that. But then one rainy, rainy evening she appeared at his doorstep, soaking wet, emerald eyes looking up exhaustedly into his.

"I'm tired of this. Please, just freakin' date me."

It was the best thing he'd heard for months.

* * *

Sumire was sentimental and strange sometimes. He liked that about her too. Today it just weirded him out.

School had just let out, and they were sitting on a hill behind the school when she suddenly turned to him and said, "Promise me."

He turned to her with a lopsided grin. "I'd promise you anything," he replied, however when he saw the serious look on her face he knew she wasn't kidding.

"Anything?"

"Anything."

"Then promise me you'll never, ever leave me."

Koko stared at her. She was looking away now, gazing over the landscape beneath them. After a few minutes she spoke again.

"I keep getting this weird feeling. That you're going to leave and not come back. I don't want to be left alone." She fidgeted, then went on. "I want us to stay like this. Forever. I want us to stay together until we grow old and die on the same day and get put in the same coffin and go to heaven and stay there together too until we're reincarnated and come back as two different people and start all over again." She looked at him. "Promise?"

Koko looked at her for a few seconds, then smiled and moved his hand over hers on the grass before he said slowly, "I promise."

What he didn't tell her was that he was getting the same feeling from her too.

* * *

Koko looked at the back of his hand, where "_Forever_" was written in black marker in Sumire's fancy handwriting. Typical grade-school stuff, when they were teenagers. Strange thing was, he actually felt important. Whilst he would pull his long sleeves over his hands when he was around his friends out of embarrassment so he wouldn't have to explain, he pulled his sleeves back in class to gaze at the word inscripted into his hand. _Forever._ It was a complex word, but in the concept he was to use it in, it was really simple.

_I promised. And there's no breaking a promise._

* * *

_Forever_ faded slowly.

And with it, their relationship. People change, he remembered being told, and Sumire was no exception. As they grew older she got more haughty, bossy, imposing, and was always surrounded by friends. The longer it went on, the more they seemed to be drifting apart. Every time he tried to pull them back together she'd just get annoyed or claim he was being overprotective.

"Overprotective", when they hadn't gotten together for at least two weeks.

It made him want to laugh and cry at the same time.

Koko was, once again, the watcher. Again he watched as she flounced around, laughing, surrounded by people who liked her. Again he questioned himself and his motives. Again he wondered when she would ever remember he was there. Again he asked himself if she wanted to be "just friends" again.

Again he wondered how much he could take before he cracked.

* * *

Koko didn't know what had gone _wrong_.

Everything had seemed perfect—the friendship, the hilltop, the promise, the _words_. He had tried his hardest to make her happy. And for a bit, he _had_.

So why, why, _why_ was she walking away from him now, out of his life—_forever_, that complex, diverse word—and saying she'd never come back?

* * *

That was the last time Koko was able to look at Sumire Shouda without feeling a crushing, sweeping heartache.

He didn't know what he had done wrong then—and he still doesn't. She had never given him a good reason. All she told him was that she wanted some space and time, and he'd said he would give her all the space and time she wanted.

"No, Koko," she'd said exasperatedly twisting a strand of hair around her finger, looking nothing like the Sumire he knew. "I'm saying we should break up."

Even when he tried to force the answer out of her she never gave him an outright answer, or the answer he was looking for. She kept saying she wanted space and time to think about what she really wanted in life, and that she was going to leave and not come back for awhile. Then, it was over and she was gone.

What he knew she had meant, though, was that she was tired of him, was tired of being bound by a childish promise and wanted to play the game with someone else.

It's graduation day. It seems like the whole world is parting ways on this particular day. Now he really is alone. He had dreamed of renting an apartment with Sumire when they graduated, getting simple jobs to make money, saving up for something bigger and better. Now he knew it would never come true. As he looks in a chunk of broken glass from when someone smashed a bottle of wine on the ground, the Koko looking back at him looks nothing like the Koko he once knew.

And as he continues to stare at his sullen expression, traces of black on his hand catch his eye. _Forever_. It's completely gone, with the _ever_ part barely visible and the "r" in _for_ slashed over to look like an "n".

_Never._

It fits together like a puzzle. Sumire had written it in washable marker, not permanent marker. He was never meant to be a permanent figure in her life in the first place. She had expected him to realize that from the start, but since he was too into the fact that after a long struggle she was finally his, he'd completely ignored it. And now look at him—alone and full of heartache. It hurts, but at the same time it's almost laughable. Almost, but not quite.

Or maybe it is, because at that exact moment he tips his head back and lets out a great big laugh at the same time that Sumire Shouda does.

* * *

_...I can answer four questions right now that I bet people have:_

_1. Yes, this _does_ take place at Alice Academy._

_2. No, in this story they do _NOT_ have Alices. It takes place at the Academy, and they have the grade levels, but it is a regular school._

_3. Technically this does not count as a question but I'm guessing no one knew what the hell was going on. So, in a nutshell, here's what happened:_

_On graduation day Koko is reminiscing on his and Sumire's relationship. He and Sumire have been friends since they were young. _[Insert random number under 5 here]_ years later she wants to start dating and Koko wants to date her, but she turns him down numerous times. He backs off and watches from afar as she dates a whole bunch of other guys until she realizes she was only dating them as a form of denial and that she actually likes him. So they start dating and she asks him to make a promise to her that he'll never leave her, and he agrees. To seal the deal she writes "forever" on his hand and her own (though that isn't stated in the drabble). Unbeknownst to him, she writes it in washable marker. As "forever" fades they move farther and farther apart, until they break up and Koko is heartbroken. Then it flashes back to present time and Koko finally looks at himself and realizes how much he's changed. Then he looks at his hand, finally seeing that Sumire wrote it in washable marker as a sign that they were going to start strong and get weaker and weaker until they finally faded away, hence their breakup. Koko laughs when he finally realizes all of this at the same time Sumire laughs, basically showing that even though they broke up they are still connected to a certain degree._

_Or something like that._

_And 4. Yes, I effing love reviews. And yes, I'd effing love one right now._

_:)!_

_~Ariisha-chan_


	40. That Word

**Title:** _That_ Word

**Inspiration:** Something random that popped into my head =_= Don't ask.

**Spotlight:** Mikan and Natsume

**Genre:** Humor

* * *

"Hey Natsume," Mikan said one day, turning to him, who was leaning up against the tree they were sitting under. "what's sex?"

Natsume lifted the corner of the manga over his face up and sneaked a peek at her to make sure she was serious. She had that same damnable smile that she always had on, but her eyes looked somber and curious at the same time.

Just how should he reply?

"A meeting of the minds to form an incredible bond through intimate gestures," Natsume said dryly, putting the manga back over his face. _That should shut her up._

"Then, Natsume...will you have sex with me?"

Natsume sat up so fast his manga slapped him in the face and when it slid off, the spine jabbed him in his thigh. "What?" he choked out, not even bothering to mask his - what? "Shock" wasn't a strong enough word. Mikan kept staring at him, only now her damnable smile was gone and her lips were curved slightly in amusement.

"I said, will you have sex with me?" she repeated, inching closer to him on her knees.

The closest thing she could get to a reply was a long, hard stare, which obviously wasn't telling her anything.

* * *

In the branches of the tree, far above their heads, Hotaru sat filming. She did this as many times as she could whenever she saw them together with the high hopes that she would get something interesting. So far, no game. But...

The minute she heard the sacred word - no, the sacred _phrase_ - she nearly dropped the camera.

"Imai!" She cringed when she heard the voice behind her, and a second later out of the corner of her eye she saw a blond head appear next to her. "Finally, I've found you! I _know_ you're the one who was selling those photos of me to the ani—!"

"Back off, Nogi. I might be able to get a sex scene today."

"_What?_"

* * *

_...Awkward._

_Okay so I had to post this here because this was looking so sad and pitiful :'( I last updated in...JANUARY! Like wtf do you call that? I sure as heck don't know. So yeah. Like I said, don't ask about the idea; I've been thinking about it all week and I couldn't get the thought to go away. :P Also, don't ask their age. I don't know that either._

_But I made it soooo short. Who cares though._

_Ummm...some news...the second half of Drabble 37 is coming soon (even though it was long due)...and the second half of Drabble 39, I'm in the process of writing. Iono which will come out first, though...depends on which one I feel like writing more. XD And I was supposed to be writing something to celebrate my first whole year at FFN, but...I just don't feel like it. XD_

_Review, to liven up this (practically dead) fic? :)_

_Thanks for reading this waste of timeeeee,_

_~Ariisha-chan_


	41. Entertainment Of A Different Kind

**Title:** Entertainment of A Different Kind

**Inspiration:** I. DON'T. KNOW. But at least I'm updating...heh?

**Dedication:** Cha-Cha Cheesecake, for being the first one to review chapter 40~ You are just too kind to me. Plus, if Natsume thinks Odd Della Robbia is cool enough to high-five him, he should be high-fiving lots of other people too 8D Like Soul Eater Evans. And Akito Hayama. And Ulrich Stern. (The latter also being Code Lyoko...I can't remember any other epic Code Lyoko characters...I really gotta start watching that series again. I lubbed it so much.)

**Spotlight:** Hotaru and Hayate (NOT as a pairing, though)

**Genre:** Humor

* * *

It was so on.

The minute she laid eyes on him again, he would be a dead, dead man.

And that was going to be _very_ soon.

The doors of the room that the Dangerous Ability class was having their annual not-so-secret _butsecretenough_ meeting in flew open and hit the walls with a menacing slam. Rui Amane, who was sitting closest to them leaning over a large table, looked up in surprise as Hotaru Imai stormed in, looking disheveled and not quite like herself.

"Imai." He rested his chin on his hands, stacked one on top of the other. "What're you doing here? It's nearly six a.m. Plus, aren't you in the Technical class—which isn't even open, since Shizune-chan isn't even up yet?" Rui acknowledged in his—ugh, _far too annoying and un-average to hear in the morning_—voice. Hotaru's eye merely twitched at him in reply, but he went on, "Oh well. Since you're here, and you keep tabs on everybody, do you know where that little fire bastard went? He'd better not be skipping out on the meeting."

The "little fire bastard" was Natsume Hyuuga.

"_I_ happen to be taking Spyro's place today, thanks very much," Hotaru snarled, taking a quick look around to take in the striped curtains with a sliver of sunlight peeking through them, the red carpet in the back of the room that stretched from one side of the wall to the other, the small amout of chairs randomly placed everywhere, and the makeshift motivational poster on the wall that had a picture of all of the Dangerous Ability class members on it and read, _"DANGEROUS ABILITY CLASS: The strongest in the Academy and the strongest opponents of the anti-Alice organizations!"_ (personally Hotaru thought that the poster was incredibly juvenile and un-motivational) before advancing on Rui. "Where's Matsudaira?"

"That brat Hayate? Are you interested in him?" Rui teased. "I thought you were dating that one blond kid—Nogi, was it? That counts as cheating, you know—_ow! Brat, I was KIDDING!_ Leggo my ear!"

Hotaru gave Rui's ear one final vicious twist before she let go and all but ripped his shirt off his chest as she grabbed the front of it and dragged him so that their faces were inches apart. "Don't fuck with me, Amane," she hissed. "Imai is not in a mood to be fucked with today."

Rui wanted to remove her pretty hands from his shirt and break every one of her pretty little fingers.

Instead, he shook his head and gave her a sultry smile—the kind, Hotaru noted, that he gave many of the boys in the school, especially the elementary students and Andou. "Hayate's in the other room," he said nonchalantly, gesturing to a door at the far side of the left wall, "pissing all of the other DA members off with his stupidity. When he hears that you're here, though—"

"Cool Blue Sky's here? _Cool Blue Sky!_"

Hotaru detached her hands from Rui's shirt (who smoothed it out neatly) and whirled as Hayate bust through the door Rui had showed her. A chorus of cheers erupted from the room, but he ignored them and smiled at Hotaru eagerly. Hotaru resisted the urge to wrinkle her nose in disgust.

"Cool Blue Sky, you came! Did you come to see me? I can't believe it! The meeting hasn't started yet so we have time to talk—"

"_You._"

Hayate went on as if she hadn't even spoken. "—but when the meeting starts you might have to go...but if you wait for me afterwards I can walk you to class! By the way, is today the day for our joint class? I can walk you to the Technical classroom because I have an errand to run with Shizune-san anyways! And you never did tell me your favorite food. Or your favorite color, or your hobbies, or—"

"Give." Hotaru held her hand out. "It. _Back_."

Hayate blinked. "Give what back?"

"You stole," Hotaru took rapid steps forward that might as well have been making dents in the floor. Hayate backed up, back into the room he had originally been in, as Hotaru approached. The DA members in the room quickly moved out of the way when they saw Hotaru's expression. "my scrapbook. _My_. Scrapbook. _Myscrapbook_," she emphasized, sticking her index finger up and pointing it at him, looking very much like she wanted to stick her middle finger at him. "Last night, at that stupid party, you snuck into my room—_MY ROOM_—and took it. I saw the footage from the secret camera and you can't lie your way out of this one; give it back."

"S-she's right, Hayate-kun..." Nobara Ibaragi called nervously, hiding behind Hajime Yakumo and holding Youichi Hijiri's hand, who looked like he wanted to bite hers. "Just give it back to her!"

"But I just wanted a picture of Cool Blue Sky..." Hayate whimpered. Hotaru wished he still looked like the scrawny rat he did years ago when he was perving on her in the Hanahime Den, but working harder in the Dangerous Ability class to impress her had taken its toll on him, and he no longer looked like he did back then; he looked rather...appealing.

_Of course, not as appealing as Ruka,_ her brain said, and she was glad for the upteenth time in her life that Koko wasn't around to hear that one.

She shook her head slightly to rid herself of stray thoughts and stormed closer to Hayate. "And you made me get up at five a.m. _justtolookforthisSTUPIDplace_ when I found out that it was missing, and made me almost get caught by the morning guards, and end up going to hassle Spyro and blackmailing him to make him tell me, in which I found out that it was HALFWAY across the campus and made the long trek here and I could be a whole lot more pissed but instead I'm asking nicely so _GIVE IT BACK_."

_Hotaru Imai is definitely, definitely sleepy and pissed._

A murmur went through the DA members. "Hagbag, Hayate a dead man?" You-chan asked, tugging on Nobara's skirt.

Nobara whispered, "I hope not—_and why did you call me a hagbag_?"

**CRASH**

"Crap," Rui muttered, walking in through the door. "She tackled him."

A couple of the DA members began to cheer Hotaru on, while others made bets on how dead Hayate was going to be by the time Hotaru was done, or if someone would come in to stop her before she really _mangled_ him. Altogether, they made a lot of racket.

"What are you fools doing?"

The banter abruptly stopped. Hotaru stopped beating the crap out of Hayate with her Horse Hoof and looked up. Hayate stopped squealing for mercy and looked up as well. The people in the corner stopped dishing out money and the onlookers stopped gaping and all stared at the door.

Persona stood there, an extremely disapproving frown on his face.

"I hope you all will have an explanation for this over the ten missions I'm going to give each of you—" His eyes roamed over the entire class and stopped on Hotaru. "—_including_ you."

Natsume appeared in the door behind him, but the minute he took in the scene, he turned on his heel and snuck away before Persona noticed him.

Everyone in the class was too dumbfounded over the punishment to squeal.

* * *

And that is the tale of when Hotaru replaced Natsume and joined the Dangerous Ability class—for a week, anyways.

* * *

_Sometimes I amaze myself._

_LOL don't ask okay. This is another random idea but AT LEAST I'M WRITING. That's a good sign. A very very very good sign. Also, don't ask about the title. Or about how OOC I made Hotaru (in my defense she was SUPPOSED to be like that) and Rui (I'm just not good at that whole MANFETISH act; plus this wouldn't have made sense if he was kind of...faggish). But unfortunately I don't care. ANYWAYS!_

_Remember those drabbles I said I was going to write last chapter? Looks like they're on hold. XD My creativity juices are finally flowing and I'm trying to pump out as many drabbles/fics/whatevers that I can before they run out. :d_

_I love the Dangerous Ability class so much. XD They try to put on a show of being all tough, but when you look at them closely, despite their circumstances, they're actually kind of goofy. :3 Some of them, anyways._

_Anyways. Review for meeeeeeee? :)_

_[**P.S.** To Hana-tan (Cha-Cha-Cheesecake): Odd Della Robbia does kick butt and I can see why Natsume wants to high-five him. BUT HE STILL SHOULD HIGH-FIVE OTHER KEWL PPL K. Odd and Ruka do not deserve all of his high-fives 8D]_

_~Ariisha-chan_


	42. Too Noisy To Be Spies

**Title:** Too Noisy To Be Spies

**Inspiration:** Companion to Drabble 37 **[**_**Let It Slide**_**]**. :) The real part 2 is coming soon...

**Dedication:** Somebody...somewhere...doing something...who needs to be cheered up. :)

**Spotlight:** Hotaru and Ruka

**Genre:** Humor, slight Romance

* * *

Ruka seldom worried about Natsume. He never thought of why he should. He'd had to worry about him a good five times ever since they'd met each other, and those were, now that he was older and saw more, stupid reasons. Like trying to go across the monkey bars as kids or reaching into a thorn bush to retrieve some special item that so happened to get stuck in there. Beforehand he'd worried himself sick numerous times and Natsume told him he was just being an old lady (actually he'd said something way worse but Ruka decided that he wasn't going to remember what it was), he realized that the guy could take care of himself and stopped worrying so much about him. Even when Natsume did something absolutely life-threatening, he didn't worry that much because anyone who could outrun a speeding car and beat up five guys bigger and older than him at once couldn't get in much danger.

When Ruka did worry, however, he tended to sound like a girl on her period.

At least, that's what Hotaru told him.

He always hated when she said that and sometimes even thought, _What does she know?_ Then he remembered that she was Mikan Sakura's best friend, Mikan Sakura who was the queen of screwing up and clumsiness and everything else related to those two things, and mentally shut up because if they had to compare Hotaru had a million more reasons to worry and sound like a girl on her period—save the fact that she _is_ a girl—than he did.

But unlike him she was logical and tactful, and didn't waste time worrying about things when she could act.

A cold voice broke him from his short mental monologue. "Dammit, Nogi, if you don't stop wiggling in this seat like a girl who needs to change her tampon, I'll shoot you."

There she went _again_.

He stammered out the same phrase he'd been saying for as long as he could remember—which was only about ten minutes. "He hasn't called yet."

Hotaru had a new amused reply this time. "You're talking like he's your boyfriend."

A blush once again crept up his neck, attacking his face and turning it red. "You could at least sound a bit more concerned than _that_!" he replied, which was a lame comeback to such a comment and sounded completely irrevalant to the topic, but Hotaru knew what he meant.

"Unlike you I don't believe I have to worry about my friend like she's only two and I've locked her in a room with a possible serial killer—" "Whose idea was it to follow her to the supermarket?" "—who might take pleasure in slicing her into his soup. Like he's actually planning to _do_ something to her, dumbass."

An invisible storm raged between them silently as they went back and forth.

"He _could_."

"And you honestly believe he's that desperate?"

"This is _Natsume Hyuuga_ we're talking about, Imai."

"The guy with a _thousand fangirls_, Nogi."

"And out of those thousands, he very_ suspiciously_ chose one."

"So?"

"Don't you find that a bit fishy? She never even was his fangirl or anything close to that! In fact, they totally hated each other!"

"And now they don't. I see your point."

It was _so_ obvious that he still liked her.

"There's something going on. I'm about to go inside."

"Nogi. Just because she rejected you, the blond-haired, blue-eyed, princely and kind to everyone boy, for the guy who drowns insects, gives exactly fifty death looks a day and purposely kicks puppies, doesn't mean you have to stalk her until she finally accepts you." Hotaru knew she'd hit a low blow, especially from the hurt look on Ruka's face, but she forced that guilt out of her mind instantly.

"Just because you're single and stalked but still unloved doesn't mean you can take it out on me." Hotaru narrowed her eyes at him. She hadn't seen that one coming. _He's getting cheeky. Why is he so annoying when he's worried?_

"Being a stalker for someone with your best friend as her boyfriend or being forever lonely?" she sighed and ran a hand through her hair, making it stick up slightly in the front. Ruka's face twitched for an instant. Then he sighed too.

The fight generally being over, the raging storm between them calmed itself.

"Well..." Ruka shook his head, not knowing how to continue the arguement. "He's unpredictable, you know?"

"Such is life." Hotaru sat back in her seat and inclined her head towards Ruka's glare, and sighed. "Don't get me wrong; I understand your concern. You already know why I'm here." Ruka raised an eyebrow at this, but Hotaru simply gave him a look and continued, "I mean, if I was sick and determined to throw a party for my arrogant ass of a boyfriend and then not hear from myself for an hour, I'd be worried about me too." She put a hand on his arm. "Then again, I highly doubt I'd class you as an arrogant ass." She smiled, the first smile she'd given him in the entire time span they'd been together. Ruka blinked and flushed slightly.

"Are you trying to say that you want us to start dating?"

"No, bitch. I'm trying to pity you."

And that was why they were sitting outside in the backseat of Hotaru's car, spying.

* * *

_Originally this was supposed to be the actual part 2 for **Let It Slide**, but I didn't know how to make it sound right, so I ended up cutting out most of the end and changing it to this. Plus you just gotta love Hotaru and Ruka, you know?_

_(Actually I think I might be getting sick of Mikan and Natsume. BUT I CAN'T LET THAT HAPPEN. So I'm giving them a break...for now.)_

_This was formed...kind of strangely. Really strangely. It's kinda awkward looking/sounding, but oh well. I tried. Also, I apologize for the extremely obvious OOCness and the overall crappiness of it all. Once again: I tried. I haven't really been myself lately anyways. And about the title...well it's true, isn't it? :]_

_...I really need to start writing about different people.  
_

_Um, review? x3_

_Thanks for reaaaaading~_

_~Ariisha-chan_


	43. I Know You

**Title:** I Know You

**Inspiration:** Knowledge. Impulses. Hot chocolate. Guhhhh. -_-

**Dedication:** Everyone who made my birthday so amazing special-tacular :D I think it's the best birthday (online with my buds, that is) I've had in awhile, so sankyuhs so very muchh :))

**Spotlight:** Mikan and Natsume

**Genre:** Romance/Humor

* * *

_**Side note:**_ For a little something called May Madness I decided to participate in [see **_A/N_**]. I AM A WARRIOR. THEREFORE I SHALL TRY. RAWR.

* * *

Natsume used to hate missions. He hated everything about them. He hated the looks he got when he received them and the dull feeling throughout his body when he was done that, for some reason, made him want to take a long nap and perhaps never wake up. Even now, he can't stand looking at the word without feeling a chill course through his body.

He still can't stand missions but now they feel slightly more bearable. He can't exactly say he jumps up and down for joy when he gets them, nor when he's going to complete them, but when he's finished he can't help but feel a bit—_excited_. Instead of taking his time getting back to his Special Star room, he goes as fast as he can without pushing himself too hard. For the first time in a long time, he can't wait to walk through the door.

Because he knows what's waiting for him when he does—hot chocolate and a smile.

Natsume likes the monotony of his daily schedule. He wakes up, goes to class, sits there for a few hours, and then goes back to his room and sleeps until the next day. If he has a mission, he comes back a bit later than usual, but normally at the same time. On Saturdays and certain days of the week he's forced to hang out with the Dangerous Ability class members, which, unless everyone's being strangely compliant, is complete and utter hell, and on Sundays he can do whatever he likes. Each day is practically the same, and there's nothing really surprising to expect. Sure, sometimes someone might come in with a major case of anger management issues, or some girl may start PMSing about random girl things that he doesn't really care about, but aside from that, nobody ever really changes. The D.A. class is still annoying, and class B is the same—and always has been—since elementary school.

In a way, it comforts him.

Someone may call this whole thing boring, but he hardly considers any of it boring. Compared to the many other times in his life—indeed, it's the farthest from boring you could get. Monotony is just fine with him—especially if it's the kind that he enjoys.

Like right now, he notes as he strolls down the hall of the floor his room is on and smells the light scent of chocolate and strawberries. The last part of his daily schedule before he goes to sleep and starts all over again.

Natsume pushes open the door gently to see the dim light from a lamp by the couch, where a change of clothes is neatly folded on the seat. The air smells like the same chocolate and strawberries mixture he smelled in the hallway, only more so, and the room would be cold if not for the radiator whirring quietly in the corner.

She never forgets to turn the radiator on.

He doesn't notice the light on in the kitchen until the door swings open slowly and she walks out with a mug of hot chocolate in her hands, a first-aid kit tucked under her arm and a big smile on her face. Natsume looks at her for a long time, storing the whole scene in his mind, before he says in a calm voice, "Yo, Polka."

Mikan's nose wrinkles slightly but the smile never leaves her face. She thrusts the mug into his hands. "Drink, you idiot," she says, the same thing she says to him every time when he greets her with such a phrase. He chuckles and plops right down on the floor at the place he was standing, and Mikan sits down next to him. As he lifts the mug to his lips he notes her eyeing the various wounds on his arms and legs, calculating the damage—what she normally does.

"Do they...hurt?" she asks him hesitantly, almost cautiously, gauging his reaction.

Actually they don't hurt at all, even when she gently touches one, but he knows if he says they don't she'll just get that guilty look in her eyes when she thinks he's lying to make her feel better. So he replies, "A little bit," and gulps down some of the hot chocolate. It tastes just the same—sweeter than his taste buds can tolerate.

Mikan sighs before she opens the first aid kit and begins to wrap bandages around his arms. After a bit she says, "I knew you'd do this. Again," and looks at him irritably.

"How?" He rolls his eyes, just to humor her, and she sticks her tongue out at him.

"Because I know you," she simply says, starting to wrap the other arm. "Better than you think I do."

"You don't." It comes out—unintentionally—as an insult, but Mikan doesn't even flinch. Instead, her eyes light up.

"Yes I do," she insisted. "I know your name is Natsume Hyuuga and your birthday is November 27 and your astrological sign is Sagittarius. I know who your parents are and your little sister Aoi and your best friend Ruka."

"That's basic knowledge." Again, Natsume rolls his eyes. "Anyone knows that about someone they're around a lot."

"Oh yeah?" she challenges. "I also know that you actually don't get good grades, even though you're smart, and although you hate sweets you like ice cream, especially mint chocolate chip, and you always eat exactly three and a half scoops of it unless you're in a bad mood—then you eat four." Natsume raises an eyebrow at this, but still Mikan goes on, "I know you have approximately ten different moods but there are four main ones: neutral, content, cranky and melancholy. I know that you only like going to Central Town to buy manga, you hate anything that involves the word "fun", you quietly help people when they don't realize it, you lie about your pain and you never eat your dinner and only eat one thing before you leave the table and go sleep—" She puts the bandages back in the kit and closes it, staring at the red cross on the front. "And the list goes on and on and on," she finishes quietly. "I know that you know a lot about me. I just want you to know that I know a lot about you too."

Natsume opens his mouth to say something, anything to take the look off of her face before she stands up and points at him. "Sleep, you idiot," she says, smiling again. "Or else you're gonna sleep in and be late for joint classes tomorrow." She stands there for a second, seeming indecisive, until she quickly kneels down and wraps her arms around his neck in a quick, embarrassed squeeze before rushing out of the room, her face slightly tinged red.

_Wait a second_. She knows how much he hates his joint classes—

She really did know him all too well.

* * *

_Okay I tried. That was my attempt at being a warrior._

_God I half don't even feel like editting this thing. I just feel like hitting the "Add Chapter" button and not giving a damn whatever isn't right and then going to bed and sleeping in. I need more sleep 'cos I haven't been getting enough. Guhhhh. Anyways I know I'm getting a bit rusty from not writing for awhile so this may not have flowed that well, and I wanted to make the "I know you..." part longer but my brain is running on sheer willpower right now and I just blehhh. I can't. -_- And ya know that after a long hiatus, I just HAVE to write about..._

_Yeah I'm sorry May Madness. I fail._

_**A short summary of May Madness, constructed by yours truly:** an event in which you update as much as you can, post new stories, try writing things you've never written before, etc., in order to bring life to GAFFN and turn it back into the epicness that it used to be. It's not a contest, but, well, if you want it to be, and if it'll make you write, play pretend. Basically, go nuts with your writing. But don't do anything seriously crazy. Nobody wants to have to clean that up._

_It sounded fun so I decided to join in :D Plus May is particularly special to me because it's me and my little sister's b-day month so I felt I should contribute in some way to the GAFFN community. Like I said, though, I am now a failure at updating. I guess I'll go dig up all those drabbles I never started and start writing and posting them. But you should join in too. You know you wanna..._

_And before you go...review pleasee? :D_

_Thanks for reading and get swirled up in all that May Madness,_

_~Ariisha-chan_


	44. Sibling Rivalry

**Title:** Sibling Rivalry

**Inspiration:** A very educated conversation between me and (my lover) **Angie**, when we were roleplaying a few days ago. I'll include it in the A/N to preserve room. ILOVEYOUSOMUCH ANGIE x3 BLAME IT ON THE POP.

**Dedication:** The above mentioned person who is too awesome for words.

**Spotlight:** Aoi and Natsume

**Genre:** Humor/Family

* * *

**Hyuuga household, Aoi Hyuuga's bedroom; early morning**

_"MIKAN!"_

At the sound of the frantic scream (best word her muddled brain could come up with) Aoi Hyuuga's eyes shot open and she sat up, rolling over in a panic and falling in a heap on the floor.

"What the—" The start of her shout was muffled by the heap of covers that followed and landed on her.

Her mother, Kaoru, rushed by the door, stopping for a second to pop her head in. "You know your brother. He's having one of those dreams again," she said cheerfully before she moved on. "Natsume! Natsume, for the love of God, can you please calm down and shut up..." Aoi heard her say before her voice faded.

"Good morning, onii-san," Aoi said grimly to the flowered blankets.

Then, on top of it all, her alarm clock started blaring its annoying tune, and she couldn't reach it from the floor.

This was _so_ not her morning.

_**-S.M.C.-**_

**Hyuuga household, Aoi's bathroom; early morning**

Aoi turned the shower on and stepped in, sighing in content as the warm water hit her skin. She began her lather-and-rinse repeat with her favorite strawberry-scented shampoo, marvelling at how warm the water was...

...until halfway between the rinsing portion, the water went from warm to lukewarm to freezing cold in about two seconds. Aoi screamed and jumped out of the shower, hair dripping.

_Natsume-nii..._

She gritted her teeth but refrained from shrieking. At least she was done, except for a bit of shampoo on the back of her neck.

Aoi wrapped the towel around her body and grabbed her toothbrush, reaching for her toothpaste, only to find it missing.

_NATSUME-NII..._

She turned on her heel towards the door and put her hand on the knob before it burst open and hit her right in the face.

"Hey," she heard that voice she loathed so much at the moment say nonchalantly, as if he had not just sicced a door on her. "mind if I borrow your lotion? Thanks." He reached past her and picked it up off the shelf before he actually looked at her. "What's your problem?"

Aoi glared up at him from her bent-over position, holding the right half of her face.

"_NATSUME-NII-SAAAAN!_"

Definitely not her morning.

_**-S.M.C.-**_

**Hyuuga household, kitchen; early morning**

Cover-up wouldn't hide the massive bruise on her cheek, so she stuck with a large bandage and popped into the kitchen. "Mom, can you drive us to school today? Me and nii-san are gonna be late and I wanna eat breakfast," she asked sweetly.

Kaoru Hyuuga glanced at her, checked her watch and pointed a warning finger at her daughter. "Okay, but you'd better be ready at 8 because I have to be at work at 8:45 today." Aoi nodded, knowing that when her mother stuck _The Finger_ at her, it meant that if her butt wasn't in the car at exactly 8 then she'd be tearing out of the driveway without her. Kaoru smiled, satisfied, and exited the kitchen to put her makeup on.

Aoi walked over to the cabinet and pulled out a box of Strawberry Marshmallow Clusters, her favorite cereal to eat in the morning. What surprised her, however, was how light the box was, as it almost slipped through her fingers. She opened it and peered inside.

Except for the bag and strawberry dust, it. Was. _Empty_.

Exactly on cue, Natsume walked by, holding a bowl in his hands with something that looked distinctly like Strawberry Marshmallow Clusters in it. She turned around slowly and gave him her worst glare as he shot her an innocent look and ambled into the living room.

He knew how much she loved Strawberry Marshmallow Clusters. He _KNEW_.

So, so not her morning.

_**-S.M.C.-**_

**Outside, driveway; early morning**

At 7:58 Aoi burst out into the driveway with a measly fruit bar—retrieved from almost an hour of scavenging—as her breakfast. She raced to the car, threw the back door open and nosedived into it, slamming the door and uprighting herself while trying to catch her breath.

"7:59 a.m.," Kaoru said nonchalantly, starting the car. "You almost missed by a minute, dear."

"I'm sorry, Mom, but if SOMEONE hadn't of eaten up all of the Strawberry Marshmallow Clusters—" Natsume, in the front seat, chortled, and Aoi stuck her tongue out at him.

"You didn't claim the S.M.C. so they technically aren't yours."

"You never liked S.M.C. until I did!"

"It's not my fault you weren't fast enough to get the last bit."

"That's 'cause I was busy nursing the wound from when you smacked a door in my face!"

"Natsume and Aoi," Kaoru admonished. Both kids fell silent.

"...You're still slow."

"_Natsume._"

"Oh really now, I would have been at my best if you—_HEY I WAS SUPPOSED TO RIDE SHOTGUN TODAY!_"

"Both of you be quiet _now_, and don't you _dare_ talk until we pull up to the school!"

Aoi sat back in her seat and pouted. Even though he was turned around, she could see Natsume's victorious smirk in the rear view mirror.

Not. Her. Morning.

**_-S.M.C.-_**

**Alice Academy, cafeteria; afternoon**

"Move it, hag."

Aoi immediately stopped her maniacal giggling with her friends and turned around, offended, to meet eyes with Youichi Hijiri. "Who did you just call a hag, you asshole?" she snapped, then shoved him as he pushed her over and sat down with his tray.

"You, hag," he said evenly, then added, "And I'd rather be an asshole than as hag-like as you are."

Her friends giggled until she shot them all glares. Then she turned back to You-chan. "At least I can get fixed. I don't recall there being medicine for asshole-i-ness." She smirked victoriously as her friends burst out laughing.

"How, when someone as fugly as you can't even find a surgeon willing to do work?" Her friends were falling all over their trays, they were laughing so hard. You-chan smirked. Aoi twitched.

Then she very gracefully dumped her chocolate milk all over him.

Worst day ever.

**_-S.M.C.-_**

**Alice Academy, 9th grade floor; afternoon**

Aoi catapulted out of her seat and raced to the door when the melodious sound that released all of the kids from hell filled the room.

"Hyuuga!"

Aoi froze, halfway to the door. She had two choices: run out of the room like she'd never heard the teacher and risk being tracked down or getting in trouble the next day, or go back and see what the teacher wanted.

Good girl genes made her go back—albeit reluctantly.

Turns out all the teacher wanted to ask about was her class participation (which she skillfully crafted a lie for from listening to Natsume and years of experience), but was still pretty time consuming. By the time she got out in the hallway, it was empty.

**Crap.**

She ran as fast as she could down the stairs and out into the warm sunshine and found Natsume leaning against the wall—without his bookbag.

"Natsume-nii, what're you doing?" she cried. "Has the bus come yet?"

Natsume shrugged, hands in his pocket. "I was waiting for you. And yes. The bus already came."

Aoi frowned. "But...where's your bag?"

"The bus driver was being an ass and wouldn't wait for you, so I told him I'd get off the bus. Then I forgot to get my bag." Natsume shrugged again at Aoi's stricken look. "I left it next to Ruka. He'll probably drop it off later."

"Nii-san...you waited for me...?" Aoi blinked.

"Yeah, yeah," Natsume turned away from her and waved his hand. "Thank me later. You owe me twenty bucks anyways." He started to walk. "Let's go or we'll get home late."

"What? Can't we just call Mom or Dad and have one of them pick us up—" At Natsume's look, she remembered how she'd left her cellphone in his bag when he offered, in a rare moment of kindness when they ran into each other in the hallway, to hold it for her.

"—yeah. Let's just go."

As she ran to catch up with Natsume, Aoi smiled to herself.

Even though her onii-san could be a definite asshole sometimes, she really didn't mind that or the fact that they both were going to have really really sore legs later if it was for something like this.

* * *

**Hyuuga household, living room; evening**

"Stop hogging the foot rest, damn you! My legs are sore too!"

"Why don't you go get another one then?"

"I—_you_—!"

"_What possessed you idiots to walk all the way home anyways?_"

* * *

**[21:04] aoi: Take him to the movies.**  
**[21:04] aoi: He likes dark places.**  
**[21:04] mikan: ...**  
**[21:05] aoi: He always whispers your name in his sleep.**  
**[21:05] aoi: In the middle of the night, I'll be fast asleep, and he'll be like MIKAN!**  
**[21:05] aoi: I'm like damn way to wake me up.**  
**[21:05] kitsu: LOL!**

_... :)_

_~Ariisha-chan_


	45. So Says the Whiner

**Title:** So Says the Whiner

**Inspiration:** Because Drabble 44 was funny, the f-word is funny and S.M.C. is a good nonexistent cereal acronym.

**Dedication:** Every GAFFN author who's trying their hardest to participate in May Madness despite busy schedules :) You all are awesome.

**Spotlight:** Sumire and Anna

**Genre:** Humor

* * *

"_FUCK!_"

Anna cringed, as well as several other people in the aisle, as Sumire opened her mouth and—yet again—let the _f-word_ fly.

"Mommy, what does that mean?" a little boy asked, tugging on his mother's skirt. She didn't reply, only shot Sumire and Anna a dirty look as she covered his ears and led him away to another aisle.

"Sumire-san, you're forgetting that we're in a public place..." Anna said patiently, folding her arms and tapping her fingers against them. "You can't just say the _f-word_ at any time just because all the..." Anna checked the cereal label again. "...Strawberry Marshmallow Clusters are sold out."

"Ugh, you just don't get it, Umenomiya!" Anna noted that Sumire was definitely mad; it was the only time she used family names. This would probably take a while. "Strawberry Marshmallow Clusters are the _best_ cereal in the whole fucking _store_. My mom's gone on some stupid health-food rage because some guy at work told her she looked like she was gaining a little baby fat and now she won't even let me fucking _touch_ junk food. She even threw the last fucking box of S.M.C I had out! And I'm having major _major_ withdrawal symptoms and if I asked for a ride to a better store she'd ask why and then I'd have to tell her and she wouldn't let me go and this dinky little store is only fifteen minutes from school so I can get some and then sneak home and hide it somewhere which sounded _really_ good and then I come here and _they don't fucking have any_." Anna noticed that now, lots of people were looking in their direction, some with sympathy, others with disgust.

Anna, however, didn't miss a beat. "So why don't you just wait until tomorrow? I bet they'll have some tomorrow."

"_NO!_ I need some _now_, because S.M.C. is fucking addictive. Ask anybody! Hey, you!" Sumire screamed at an old lady standing nearby with a hearing aid. "Isn't S.M.C. _totally_ worth having a hissy fit for when you can't get any?"

"What did you say?" The old woman looked frightened as she adjusted her hearing aid.

Anna yanked Sumire away. "Nothing!" she answered sweetly as she dragged Sumire away from the cereal aisle, all the way down to the feminine hygiene section. Pretty soon, Sumire found herself staring at rows and rows of packages of pads and tampons.

"Sumire..." Anna started again, even sweeter. "Are you on your period?"

Sumire stared at Anna as a blush shot up her neck and covered her face. "Are you," she shrieked at her, "out of your _fucking_ mind?"

"I'm guessing that's a yes," Anna drawled, randomly selecting a package off the shelf and shoving it into Sumire's hands. "Let's go. We can come back tomorrow, when they'll have more and you can get as many boxes as you want." Sumire looked like she wanted to argue some more, but the fact that Anna had not yet stopped smiling made her not.

"All I wanted were some fucking boxes of S.M.C.," Sumire muttered as Anna pulled her down the aisle to the checkout line. At that, Anna turned around.

"Please stop saying 'fuck'. It's fucking annoying, Shouda."

Sumire looked surprised for a second, then stuck her tongue out as Anna turned back around, and that's how Anna knew that Sumire was definitely on her period.

After all, Sumire _hated_ marshmallows.

* * *

_I overused the word "fuck" in this. Big whoop. It was the point._

_Now for another funny inspiring thing like Drabble 44 had:_

_Mikan and Tsubasa = Angie, Kitsu = me :)_

**[19:48] tsubasa: If romeo is still open, I'll play it. We need someone :/**  
**[19:48] kitsu: Heh...**  
**[19:48] mikan_sakura: Ah natsume said he would be it!**  
**[19:49] tsubasa: ...**  
**[19:49] tsubasa: ...**  
**[19:49] tsubasa: BAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!**

_~Ariisha-chan_


	46. Of Wishing Wells and Wishing Well

**Title:** Of Wishing Wells and Wishing Well

**Inspiration:** Second part of Drabble 39 [Of Broken Hearts and Losing Faith].

**Dedication:** To everyone who gave kind reviews for Drabble 45 :) Iono why but they really touched my heart. So thanks.

**Spotlight:** Sumire and Koko

**Genre:** Romance/Hurt/Comfort

* * *

_You're invited to the wedding of:_

**_Sumire Shouda and Akira Tonouchi_**

_**When:** March 28th_  
_**Where:** Shiragiku Chapel_  
_Gifts are optional._

_Your presence will be much appreciated!_

It's not _fair_.

I read the invitation once, twice, thrice. For some reason my brain couldn't process the letters pressed neatly on the page, spelling out obvious words that I've known for years now. The only one I understand even the slightest is _wedding_.

And the name next to Sumire's that isn't mine.

Why had she even bothered to send an invitation?

_Stars lookin' at our planet watching entropy and pain_  
_And maybe start to wonder how the chaos in our lives could pass as sane—_

For a second I just stand there, numb, until I registered that that was my phone ringing, not some random background music to fit my crappy mood. I'd almost forgotten that Sumire had changed it a long time ago, stating, "A cool guy deserves a cool ringtone, right?" and I'd never bothered to change it again—

No. _No_. I refused to think of her. It'll just make me hurt more.

Picking up the phone, I pressed the button and said dully, "Hello."

_"Dude! Did you get the invitation?"_

"Kitsu. Yes, I got it." I sat down on my bed. "What about it?"

_"I always knew Sumire was a player, but this - this tops all,"_ Kitsuneme started. _"She's marrying that one dude! That one dude who was, like, nineteen when Sumire was only eleven! Can you say, gross—"_

"Kitsu," I said wearily, "can you please shut up?"

There was silence for a few minutes. Then Kitsuneme said quietly, _"You shouldn't let her do this, Koko."_

"What do you mean? What can I do about it?" I clenched my fists. "Everything we had...everything we _knew_...it's over, Kitsu. I don't have anything over her now—I never did. So when you say, 'You shouldn't let her do this', what exactly do you mean by that?"

_"I mean that you knew her better than anybody. You know that she'd never do something like this unless something's up behind the scenes, or she's trying to deny something. And from my perspective, I think it's denial. She's denying the fact that—"_

"Don't you dare say it." I narrowed my eyes, even though he couldn't see me.

Kitsuneme ignored me. _"—she still likes you."_ He paused. _"Even though she dumped you first."_

"She never liked me."

_"If she never liked you she never would have asked you out. Or have been your friend."_

"But if she liked me then she never would have broken up with me."

I could practically see Kitsuneme shaking his head. _"You're impossible to reason with. Did she change you that much?"_ He sighed. _"Well, that's one thing you both had in common. You were both stubborn. Anyways, are you going to the wedding?"_

"I might as well. It may be the last time I ever see her." Or _want_ to see her.

_"Masochist much?"_ Kitsuneme whistled. _"I gotta go. Have to find a gift out of respect for the Perm Monster. See ya."_

"Bye." I snapped my phone shut, half wanting to throw it across the room.

That guy—Tono—that should be me. That should have been my name next to Sumire's. That should have been Kitsuneme calling to congratulate me, and me thanking him and asking Kitsuneme to be my best man. Not him calling out of pity.

I stood up and picked my jacket up off of a chair back. Then, I went outside and did what I had been doing frequently.

I went to the old wishing well at the park.

The wishing well was actually a water fountain, but everyone called it a wishing well. It was old and kind of rusty, since it had been operating since the park had opened back when I was a kid and no one ever cleaned it. But the water coming out of the little nozzle at the top was as clean as it always was, and the sun reflecting off of it made it sparkle like diamonds, giving me a false sense of hope.

Digging around in my pocket, I found a 500 yen coin. Kind of a splurge, but worth it. Flipping it into the well/fountain, I whispered, "I wish Sumire wasn't marrying that old man."

I watched as the coin spun in the air and landed in the water with a soft plop, joining the other coins and the other 500 yen coin that had been sitting in there since the beginning of time (probably), and waited for my wish to come true with some magical signal from the gods above.

"Aren't you a little old to be depending on coins and wishes?"

I spun around and saw one of my old classmates, Anna Umenomiya, leaning against a tree nearby, facing me and smiling.

"Anna! What're you doing here?" I questioned. She looked at me and shrugged, still smiling.

"I was in the area, and thought I'd stop by," she simply said.

"Oh. That's cool."

An awkward silence passed between us for a few seconds. I turned back to the fountain and stared at the water flowing out as my heart sank down to my toes.

"You've heard, haven't you?"

I turned back around. "Heard what?"

"Shouda-san. Marrying Tono-san."

My stomach joined my heart as I felt it make the drop. "Y-yeah, I have," I stammered in a low voice. "What about it?"

I still couldn't even handle hearing her name. What was I going to do when I actually _saw_ her?

"You still like her, don't you Koko." It wasn't even phrased as a question, but it still made me clench my teeth.

_For the love of God._

"Yeah, but so what?" I bit out. "It doesn't matter. No matter what I do, she'll never like me again. Even if I go to this stupid wedding and tell her how I really feel, what are the guarantees that she'll listen? Why should I interfere and mess up her life again? She wants space and that's what I'm giving her—"

"Denial."

I stared at her. Her blue eyes hadn't left my face this whole time, but now they shifted down to the ground beneath her.

"D-E-N-I-A-L," she spelled out slowly. "Tono-san's father owns a large business, and in order to inherit it he has to marry. What are the chances..." Anna looked up again, deep into my eyes, not smiling. "...that she actually likes him? What are the chances that she still doesn't like you?"

I blinked in surprise, finally seeing her point, but she went on, "I know Shouda-san, but I also know you. If you honestly like her—"

"I don't like her. I _love_ her."

"—okay. If you honestly love her, then you'll take your chances and stop her while you still have time."

I looked down at the ground for a few minutes, processing all of this. A spark of hope was in my chest.

I could...I still had a chance...?

"And if you understood anything that I just said, you'd start moving because the chapel is in another city that's a day away, the wedding is tomorrow and unlike you, _I_ can get a ride." Anna smiled again, to take away the impact and seriousness of her words.

"Yeah." I smiled, the smile that I used to always have a long time ago. "And...thanks, Anna."

"You're welcome, Koko. You should keep smiling like that; frowns aren't meant for you." Her smile grew.

* * *

"What do you think, sweetie?"

I lifted the material of the gown slightly and let it drop back on to the floor. "It's perfect, Mom," I said, giving my mother a fake smile. "Thanks for helping me choose one."

"Of course, dear." She gave me a hug. "The planner called and everything's set! Oh, this will be the most wonderful wedding ever. Everything is just perfect! You're so lucky, Sumire, honey. Akira has all of the qualities of a man that's suitable for marriage. He's handsome and he's rich, so you'll never have to struggle." She noticed me twisting uncomfortably in the gown. "Here, sweetie, let me help you take that off and I'll go pay for it while you get dressed...then we'll go to the spa to prepare, get manicures and pedicures, and..." I tuned her out as she unzipped the gown in the back and helped me out of it so I wouldn't step on it and ran up front to pay for it. As I got dressed in my regular clothes, my mind wandered.

_It's not right._

I was surprised at the thought that suddenly crept in, but I followed up on it and thought some more: _It's not right. This whole scene, this entire event, it's just not right. Something's wrong. Something's missing. There's something else I want...or someone..._

Unexpectedly, an image of Koko popped into my head.

I shook my head furiously. _No_. I couldn't think of him now. That was high school and the past; this was now.

But I couldn't help thinking of what the wedding would be like if I was marrying him—not that I was regretting anything, because I wasn't that far gone. He'd probably be calling right now and begging for a sneak peek at my dress, and then saying that my mom was a stuck-up whore and he hated that soon, she'd be his mother in-law and that he already had a perfectly good mother. He'd say it loud enough that, even though my mom was up front, she'd still hear him, and she'd come rushing back, snatch the phone out of my hand and start screaming at him that she didn't want a disrespectful brat as a son-in-law either and that she already had a perfectly good daughter but they'd both have to deal. And I'd be laughing the whole time, and not feeling the way I did now, all pent-up and uncomfortable.

Like a liar.

I wondered if he'd gotten the invitation, and if he was even considering coming.

For some reason, I hoped that he would. I knew he probably didn't even want to see me, but...

Silence was not doing me good. It was making me think about things that were irreversible, things that couldn't be undone or changed no matter what happened or what I'd do to try and make it different. And it was making me think of the person who I once had cared so much for, who I'd hurt so badly during the awkward affairs and indecisions of my teenage years.

There was always one question that I had wanted to ask him before we'd...split. It was such a cheesy and typical question, and maybe that's what had made me not want to ask it. But if there was anything that I was regretting deep in my heart right now, it was not asking it.

_What do you like the most about me?_

The worst part was that I wasn't sure just what he might have said.

"Sumire, sweetie!" My mom brushed the curtain aside, letting in a rush of cool air that broke up my thoughts and cleared my head, the dress carefully tossed over her arm. "Good, you're dressed. First we'll drop this off at home, then we'll go out for that relaxing mani-pedi combo, okay?"

"Yeah." I tried for a smile, but the best I could achieve was a twisted fake grin. Fortunately, she didn't notice, and continued to chatter, "Ahh, I can hardly wait till tomorrow. I know I've said this before, Sumire, but you are just so lucky. You've gotten this far because you've worked so hard, that's what I believe..."

_So why do I feel like I was cheating the whole time?_ I thought bitterly.

* * *

I knew three things at the moment, and none of them were good:

1. It was eleven o' clock (at night), and I was freaking hungry and tired.

2. The wedding was tomorrow at ten o' clock, according to Kitsuneme, who'd asked around (he wouldn't tell me who told him).

3. I was absolutely nowhere near Shiragiku Chapel (at least, that's what the map I had in my lap showed me. Then again, I wasn't good at reading maps).

If I hadn't felt so determined, I would have deemed this a stupidly unnecessary trip and gone back home to sulk under the covers and get fat. But I was having a rare moment, a moment that tore me out of my original depressed state and gave me real hope, more than that ancient wishing well/water fountain could ever have given me.

Thinking that flipping money that I could be saving into water that supposedly granted wishes would save me was stupid, anyways.

I was in danger of falling asleep, but I wouldn't until I was sure that I was near Shiragiku Chapel, and I was sure that I wouldn't fall asleep and sleep right through the wedding and really make this trip unnecessary. I lifted my head up quickly as I felt it bob down and pinched myself hard, refusing to let my eyes close.

Instead, I thought about what I was going to do when I got there, and saw her, in the flesh. I wondered how she was going to react, if she would turn away the instant she saw me, or if she would put her hands over her mouth like they do in those corny romance movies where the girl sees the guy she hasn't seen in years and as he's walking over to her she puts her hands over her mouth as tears of joy run down her face.

Or if she would walk over and slug me and ask—well, really scream—what I was doing there and why, while trying to hide the tears forming in her eyes.

Very Sumire-like.

I felt my eyes closing slowly and—

* * *

_Sumire looked at me and said very evenly, "Koko, I want to ask you something."_

_I gave her one of my old lopsided grins. "I told you, you can ask me anything—"_

_"What do you like most about me?"_

_I was stunned. "Think about it," she said as she turned and walked away from me, into an overpowering light that made me squint._

_"Wait," I told her, reaching out for her. "You want to know what I like about you?" The light was blinding. She turned around and waited, her green eyes shining unnaturally in the light. I swallowed, then spoke._

_"I like that you never—"_

* * *

Oh God. Oh God, _no_.

The train made a sharp turn, directing the sunlight right into my eyes, and I jerked awake, smacking my head against the window. I rubbed the side of my head and winced. A rude wake-up call, if you asked me. I glanced and saw blue sky—

And I remembered.

_No, no, no, no, no—_

I pressed a button on my watch and blinked a few times to clear my vision as the numbers flashed on the screen briefly, then faded away as my heart sank.

Nine-sixteen.

I was going to miss the wedding.

So what was this whole trip for, nothing? I'd stopped moping, realized something, gotten my hopes up and taken all this time for a moment that would probably only last about thirty minutes for nothing? If I was lucky I'd get there in time for the reception, only to see Sumire in all of her newlywed glory—which wasn't exactly the last memory I wanted to have of her until I died.

I looked out the window again. I didn't even know where I was.

For the first time in my life, I wished I had never met Sumire Shouda.

Gloomily I turned to an old woman sitting beside me, who cocked her head at me inquisitively. "G'mornin' to ya, young man," she said, her ancient face crinkling into lines of happiness. "Fine day, isn't it?"

"I wish," I replied unhappily. "Do you know where Shiragiku Chapel is, ma'am?"

She studied my face for a second, the smile never leaving. "Why, we're right about to pull into the area. Didn't'cha know that?"

* * *

"Sumire!"

I turned around, my hands shaky and sweaty. "Mom, I can't do this," I moaned. I wanted to whimper like a little girl. "Call it off. Call the whole thing off."

"Sweetie, are you all right?" My mom walked over to me and smoothed my dress down in the back. "I know you're nervous, but it's too late for that now. I promise everything will be fine. And once it's over, you'll feel like the happiest, luckiest girl alive."

That was about the hundredth time she'd referred to me and my situation as being "lucky". I didn't feel lucky at all. I felt the complete opposite of lucky. I hated Akira because he was a lecherous, sleazy pig and a playboy, no matter how handsome or charming he appeared to be. And I knew he probably hated me because I stopped being as loose as I was in high school and I was bossy. I was even willing to admit that I was a bitch sometimes. He'd certainly fooled my mother, though. If she wasn't already married I think she would have married him. But it was too late and everything was set up, like a play that everyone's been anticipating, except this was real and there was no turning back.

"You're right, Mom." God, I felt like such a liar. "It's just the nerves. I'll feel better once it's over." I didn't even attempt to smile.

"Promise?"

"Promise." I crossed my fingers under the bouquet.

"Good." She didn't notice, and kissed me on the cheek. "It's about time for me to leave you alone. Don't muss your dress or let your makeup run crying." She winked and walked out of the room. A few tears slid down my cheeks, but for a completely different reason.

_I don't want this. I don't want him. I want Koko._

It was the first time I had admitted it to myself.

* * *

I had cleaned up nice. I'd even been totally outrageous and gotten a tux (black jacket with satin lapels, black trousers, bowtie, cummerbund) even though I hated dressing up and she knew that. When the nice old woman told me that we were just about to get into the area that Shiragiku Chapel was in, I nearly had a heart attack. Then I nearly kissed her, both of which I prevented. Then I had raced off of the train like a madman in the direction of the nearest tuxedo shop.

It was a splurge, but worth it. I recognized the words as the ones I had told myself at the episode with the wishing well/water fountain, and chuckled to myself, shaking my head, and continued walking. My stomach growled loudly, but I told myself that there would definitely be food at the reception, and after I got a chance to see Sumire, I could pig out as much as I'd like.

A few blocks later, the chapel was in view. My heart began beating a strange rhythm in my chest. Calm down, I told myself over and over. I sucked in a breath and walked faster. But all I could think about was the fact that Sumire was in there, that after such a long time, after what had happened between us that was so difficult to understand, I'd finally see her. What was I going to say to her? "Hey, long time no see, Perms", "Hey, Permy", "Look, it's Demon Perm"? Or just, "Hey, what's up"?

_Sumire'sinthereSumire'sinthereSumire'sinthere_

"Name?"

I stopped and blinked. I was standing in the front of the chapel, and a huge-looking bodyguard was standing there with a list, looking at me expectantly. "Name?" he repeated, looking a bit annoyed.

"Kokoroyomi," I said, crossing my fingers behind my back. Please, please, let my name be on there...

The bodyguard crossed something out. "Sure. Step right in." He stepped aside and opened the doors. I was so happy I wanted to kiss him too, but I don't think he would have appreciated that. Trust me, I'm secure in my masculinity.

So I nodded my thanks at him and walked inside.

It was amazing. The whole place was amazing. Whoever the planner was, he or she had done a great job. But I looked down humbly and slid into a seat in the back, out of view from everyone but able to see everything. I noticed a lot of my old classmates were here. Maybe after I saw Sumire, I'd go catch up with them.

Always, "after I saw Sumire".

I checked my watch, which I had slid into my pocket. It read nine-fifty-five.

The wedding would be starting soon.

* * *

I can't do this. I can't do this. I can't do this.

I was positioned outside, ready to walk in at the given moment. I was clutching my father's arm with a tight grip that he just didn't seem to notice. He was too busy beaming proudly at the door.

I don't _want_ to do this.

I wanted to cry so badly, to turn around, get in the car and never hear of a single wedding again. My palms were sweaty once more, and I was visibly trembling. My father finally noticed, and leaned in towards me.

"You'll do fine, sweetie," he murmured.

Then I heard the music start, the doors opened and I stepped forward and—

* * *

—she walked in.

She was beautiful. There was nothing else I could use to describe it. She looked different, yet somehow I knew she was the same old Sumire. Same green hair with the delicately curling tips, only slightly longer. Same porcelain skin with a tint of rose. Same emerald green eyes. The same Sumire who had always scolded me but cared about me, the one who was my best friend, the one who—

—had never changed.

That was it. That's what I liked most about her. No, what I loved most about her. She never ever changed her attitude towards me. Until everything fell through, she was the same every day.

If there was any time that I had wished this badly to be the groom, it was now.

She was on her father's arm, and I couldn't tell her expression underneath the veil. Was she smiling? Was she happy?

If anything, I hoped she was at least happy.

Everything, which had once been moving in slow motion, was speeding up all of a sudden. Going too fast. She walked up to Tono, who had a big shit-eating grin on his face that I wished I could knock off even though he was nearly twice my age. The priest began blabbing the vows. I heard a lot of talking and "I do"s that I just couldn't seem to process in my mind. Then, I heard what I'd been waiting for:

"I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss the bride."

This was it. Their faces were inches apart.

I tried. I really did. I told my legs to stand and my voice to shout something, anything that would stop their lips from touching and sealing the deal. Especially when I saw the look on Sumire's face, which was one of pain. But I couldn't. Something stopped me. Something held me back. A voice whispering in my mind:

_Why interfere with her life again, if this is what she really wants?_

And my legs didn't move. I remained quiet. And their lips touched.

Up near the front row, I saw Anna shaking her head slightly as everyone started clapping.

* * *

It was over. Finally, it was over.

I almost threw myself in the limo that was to take us to the reception, but instead climbed in calmly. Tono—excuse me, Akira—squeezed himself next to me, waving out the window. I moved as far away from him as possible.

The limo ride seemed to take hours with him next to me, blabbering about the wedding and how successful it was, and how finally he (note he said he) could relax and just have fun. I looked away and scowled.

Damn Akira. I wish I never had laid eyes on him.

Soon we got to the reception building, and I almost got my dress caught in the door trying to escape. At least I could stay away from Akira for the rest of the night, since I'd opted, as a secret special favor to the planner, to not have the "first dance" and instead just have everyone party. I was sure that if everyone got drunk enough (and they would) they'd all forget after awhile.

A few minutes after we arrived, the guests began to arrive too. The reception soon turned into a thriving mess of laughter, music and dancing. I wove my way through the crowd, greeting old friends and starting a few conversations, making sure to stay as far away from Akira as possible.

Then I heard the voice.

"Hey, Sumire."

I turned around slowly, already feeling the start of tears before I even looked at him.

"K-K-Koko?" I choked out.

He looked around us. "Nice reception you got here. Whoever your planner was, I'd like to meet that person." He looked at me and grinned, that same lopsided grin that I'd known forever and still, after all this time, loved. "And who is K-K-Koko? Not someone I'm familiar with."

And still that damnable sense of humor that made me want to punch him.

I, however, just gaped at him. "W-what are you doing here? I thought...after all that—"

"That I wouldn't come?" Koko shook his head, still smiling, though I could see a trace of pain in his eyes. "Hello, I got an invitation. Free food, partying till I can't stand—and another chance to see you. Who would pass that up?"

"Anybody, after the terrible things I did for absolutely no reason." It slipped out on accident, but his expression didn't change. In fact, it got a little wistful.

"But the thing was, that didn't matter to me anymore. There was only one thing that did, the thing that I'm glad to see is still the same." He took a deep breath, then blurted out, "I like that you never changed."

That startled me. "What?"

"No matter what..." Koko was looking at the floor now. "...even after all of 'that'...you didn't change. Even when I thought you had, you hadn't. You were still the same. You were just hiding it somewhere deep inside of you." He sounded like at any moment he was about to start crying.

"Koko—" I lifted my hand for an instant, but he was turning away.

"That's all I wanted to say, really. Just, you know, wish you well and stuff." If I didn't know better, I'd say his voice was getting choked up with sobs. "Good luck with your new life."

And at that exact moment, Kokoroyomi walked right out of my life as soon as he had re-entered.

_Forever_, that complex, diverse word.

I didn't even attempt to stop him.

* * *

_FINALLY. IT'S DONE._

_I wanted to give it a happy ending, but...oh well. I didn't find it that heart-wrenching either...but...once again, I tried. Plus I just picked this up again after a month of not writing it and finished it. xD At least I'm updating though...heh?_

_Umm...so...review please? :))_

_Thankies for reading,_

_~Ariisha-chan_


	47. Laughter

**Title:** Laughter

**Inspiration:** Isn't it nice to laugh? :)

**Dedication:** For Cha-Cha-Cheesecake. I DID IT HANA-TAN! :"D (Sorta.)

**Spotlight:** Mikan and Ruka

**Genre:** Romance, hint of Tragedy(?)

* * *

Ruka liked the way she laughed.

Sure, he liked everything about her. He could answer that question honestly enough. But what he really really liked about her was her laugh.

Because Mikan Sakura did not have a face for frowns of any kind.

Most people would say that her laugh sounds utterly normal or way too high pitched, or if they're trying to be insulting, like a dying hyena. (He admitted that the last one made him chuckle slightly when he heard it.) To him it sounded like the best laugh in the world, the most beautiful, the one he could pick out of thousands of people laughing at the same time. Whenever he heard it, he got that feeling like the one you get when you hear a song you love come on to the radio in the car or in the mall, and chills went up and down his spine. The good kind.

He loved it when she laughed.

The part that made him feel like the happiest guy alive was when he was the one who made her laugh. He didn't consider himself that funny—more like someone who could crack a joke every now and then and unintentionally make everyone chuckle. But she was always the one who laughed the hardest, even at his most minor escapades.

"Ruka-pyon, you're so funny," she'd gasp out, wiping tears out of her eyes.

And all of a sudden he'd feel guilty.

He didn't know why. Maybe because he'd suddenly start thinking about his best friend, and how much she used to laugh when she was with him. And scream, and blush, and a whole list of other things. Even though he said, that when he was gone, to take care of Mikan. He missed his best friend, but he was sure that she missed him more.

That's why he made her laugh. So he wouldn't forget how it sounded. So _she_ wouldn't forget how it sounded. And just as a reminder that he would be there, right behind her, no matter what she did.

From the look in her eyes, it was just enough for her.

_"Why do you have to think about it? I think you're doing a really good job."_

* * *

_HAHAHA. TAKE THAT NON-RxM-WRITING DEMONS!_

_(Okay I know it's mega short and crappy and sounds Natsume-ish. No stealing my thunder.)_

_This is the super ultra late birthday present for Hana-tan that I had baked up (over three months overdue, to be exact). I tried. And you see that even then, I still managed to squeeze in... *waves hands and stomps away*_

_FAAAAAAIL_

_And MUST I tell you who was "talking" at the end? I hope I don't. Here's a hint: it was one of the three people mentioned in this drabble, and it's not the two main people _:

_Errr...anyways...review? :)_

_~Ariisha-chan_


	48. Of Late Regrets and Chasing Dreams

**Title:** Of Late Regrets and Chasing Dreams

**Inspiration:** Third part of Drabble 39 [Of Broken Hearts and Losing Faith] and Drabble 46 [Of Wishing Wells and Wishing Well]. Also, I just hit over 50,000 words with this drabble series. x3

**Dedication:** Trilli (**Winterberrytrillium**). I loved your review for Drabble 46 :"D Also, somehow your asking for me to make a third part inspired me to make a third part, even though I hadn't planned to...so thanks! :)

**Spotlight:** Sumire and Koko

**Genre:** Romance/Hurt/Comfort

* * *

_"Why, Sumire? _Why?_" I winced, as yet again, my mom's voice hit a deafening volume. She was wringing her hands in supposed—I was sure of that—agony as tears ran in streams down her face._

_I refused to be swayed, though. "Mom, I'm sure of this," I said slowly. "It's just not working out for me. This life I'm leading now—it's just not cutting it. I don't want all of this. I want less." The exact words I was too afraid to say at the wedding were falling out of my mouth. It was ironic, in a way._

_My mother, however, didn't want to believe any of it. "What on earth do you mean? How could you not? You have it all! Do you want more, Sumire? _Do_ you?" Her hands were waving all around in some crazy indication dance to show how insane she thought I was. "Akira can give you whatever you want!"_

_"Not everything I want. He's not giving me everything."_

_Her hands finally rested in her lap, wringing again. "He is. Don't you see? He can make all of your dreams—those same ones you had as a child—come true. Whatever you want—he has it! Anything—it doesn't matter how much it is!"_

_"Which is too much," I said firmly. "I told you—I don't want any of this."_

_"Then what do you want, Sumire? What is it that you want that he doesn't have?" Her red, puffy eyes were boring into mine, widening in shock when I told her, with a completely straight face, what I wanted the most, what I had wanted at the wedding, and what I was determined to chase now._

_"Love."_

* * *

_You're going crazy, Sumire. Absolutely bonkers. I promise you, you will regret this..._

Another hard bump shook me from my daydream and I shook my head hard to rid myself of my mother's words. I could care less what she thought, actually. It was just the last part that worried me the slightest bit.

_Would_ I regret it?

_Of course you won't,_ my stubborn side told me fiercely. _You're doing what you should have done a long time ago, before the wedding, before any of this..._

Somehow that convinced me. I leaned my head against the window and looked at my reflection, gazing solemnly back at me. I rubbed the face of the watch I was holding in my hand with my thumb, the one that had fallen out of Koko's pocket at the wedding in his haste to leave. I had tried to find him to give it back, but he disappeared. It was as if he was never there in the first place.

So I kept it, a small comfort to keep me going on this journey.

The landscape was flying past in a blur, and I felt a bump every now and then. I held my bag to my chest more tightly. Yes, right now my mother's words were just echoes in my mind, little reminders of what I was doing and why. It didn't matter what happened now; there was nothing anyone could do about it anymore.

I was on my way to Koko.

* * *

_Stars looking at our planet, watching entropy and pain_  
_And maybe start to wonder how the chaos in our lives can pass as sane—_

That godforsaken ringtone. It made me wish I was deaf every time I heard it.

_I've been thinking about the meaning of resistance, of a hope beyond my own_  
_And suddenly the infinite and penitent begin to look like home—_

I snatched the cellphone off the headboard and threw it at the wall. A small crack and a thump followed soon after, and the ringtone stopped.

It didn't make me feel any better. I buried myself deeper underneath the covers.

_Stars looking at our planet, watching entropy and pain_  
_And maybe start to wonder how the chaos in our lives can pass as sane—_

How was it not broken? I could've sworn I'd thrown it hard enough.

_I've been thinking about the meaning of resistance, of a hope beyond my own_  
_And suddenly the infinite and penitent begin to look like home—_

I grumbled to myself and threw the covers back, climbing out of bed and stomping over to where the phone was resting on the floor with a crack on the screen and snatching it up. The words _Unknown number_ flashed on the screen.

Someone I didn't know. Well, that was easy.

I tossed the phone back on the floor and was halfway back to the bed when it started ringing again.

_Stars looking at our planet, watching entropy and pain_  
_And maybe start to wonder how the chaos in our lives can pass as sane—_

I turned back around and snatched it up again, ignoring the words _Unknown number_ and pressing the button. "_What?_" I yelled into the phone.

_"Hello? Kokoroyomi?"_

I froze in shock. It was Sumire's mother.

"Mrs. Shouda?"

_"How rude, Kokoroyomi. I thought your mother taught you better manners than that."_ Fussing, as usual. I grimaced. _"I assume you're wondering why I've called."_

"You've assumed correct, Mrs. Shouda."

_"I found your number in my daughter's old high school address book."_ I felt a wave of nausea. Why would she bother to search for my number? _"I was just wondering—I mean, there's—I wanted to ask you something...about Sumire..."_ Her voice was starting to sound shaky.

The nausea intensified. "Sure. What do you need?"

There was silence for a second, and then she burst out, _"Sumire—she's gone missing. Do you have any idea where she went?"_

* * *

I was pretty sure Mom was definitely going nuts right about now, sending calls out left and right, assuming that I'd gotten kidnapped or murdered or something. I wondered if she'd bothered to send a call out to Koko.

Maybe he already knew what I was up to.

I was smart enough to not bring my cellphone (even though the temptation was extreme) and to dress in the most average outfit I could find in my new, refined wardrobe, courtesy of Tonouchi (I was on family name terms again), but unfortunately I wasn't smart enough to not leave a note for my mom under the remote for the giant flat-screen in the basement with something trivial on it like, _"Chasing dreams—and love. Don't bother trying to find me"_, so once she was done freaking out she could find it. Even though I'd wanted to keep my trail as cold as possible, she was still my mother. And even after all she'd put me through, I still loved her.

Something that was sure to burden me later, but whatever.

I dipped my head down low and pulled my hood down farther over my head as someone walked past me. I froze as the person stopped next to my seat and sat down.

Crap.

I snuck a glance at whoever it was next to me and let out a small sigh of relief when I realized that it was just an old woman. A harmless looking old woman who turned to me when she saw me looking and smiled a smile so big and happy that I couldn't help but smile back.

"Nice day, isn't it, young lady?" she said, leaning back in her seat and smiling contentedly. "Fine time to go out and get some fresh air. What are you up to?"

I blinked at her, then replied a bit too hastily, "Same thing. The sun's out so I thought, why not?" You don't know who she is. Better not tell her too much.

"Yes, it is." She was still for a moment, then said, "You know, for some reason you remind me of a young man who was on this exact train a few months ago. I have no idea where he's gone. But he was on his way to someone's wedding, and it seemed like it was really important." Her head turned to the side inquisitively.

"You mean Koko?" I blurted out unintentionally.

"So maybe that's why I thought of him." She smiled again and leaned back. "Was it your wedding he was going to?"

I looked down. "Y-yes," I said in a low voice. A terrible feeling bloomed in the pit of my stomach and settled there.

"He seemed to really care about you." Her smile said that she knew exactly what I was going to say next. I lifted my head up and looked into her eyes.

"That's why I'm chasing my dreams."

* * *

I threw the first t-shirt and a pair of pants that I could find on and grabbed my jacket, racing out the door.

_Impossible. Impossible._ The word was pounding in my brain over and over again. _She can't be missing. She's not missing. In fact, this whole thing is a joke, and when I get there we'll all probably laugh it off and I'll go back home..._

But the way her mother described it—and the way she had even called me—proved just how true it was.

What the hell could she be up to?

I didn't have my watch because it must have fallen out of my pocket at the wedding, so I'd have to check the times for the train when I got to the station. Still, I ran as fast as I could, feeling like I was running through a dream because I didn't even feel the slightest out of breath and my legs just kept carrying me farther and farther without ever stopping.

Why was I doing this?

The thought made me stop dead in my tracks.

After everything she'd put me through—after everything she'd done—why was I pushing all of that aside and running after her again? What was wrong with me? I'd chased after her all my life. I was just chasing after her more, showing how much I needed her.

I started running again, because that was the exact reason why I was running.

I _needed_ her.

* * *

Yet another bump knocked me out of my deep slumber and I opened my eyes quickly, sitting upright. It was night outside, stars shining unnaturally bright in the sky, and the train was dark except for a few lights on. The old lady next to me was sound asleep, snoring softly. I smiled at her. She was so nice. I knew she couldn't be a bad person. Beforehand, she'd told me all about her life—how she was a widow, and became a traveler to fulfill her late husband's dream of seeing the world. I told her all about mine—even the parts about my deceiving that made me cringe, but it didn't make her look down on me anymore. In fact, she only smiled.

"I'm glad you realized your mistake before it was too late," she'd said before we both had dozed off.

I looked out the window and was surprised to see that we were pulling into the station already. The train creaked and groaned and came to a stop. My heart began beating the weirdest tune in my chest. I stood up quietly and tiptoed around the old lady.

"You know what you need to do, dear."

I turned and smiled at her kind, wrinkled face. "I do," I whispered. And I did, for once.

I headed towards the door of the train, waiting patiently for the conductor to open the door. I thought my heart was going to burst out of my chest.

The door opened slowly. I shot off of the train—

—and did a perfect face-plant into someone's chest. A guy's, apparently.

"Ow..." I rubbed my nose. Whereas normally I would have wanted to scream, I instead went for the polite routine to avoid conflict. "I'm sorry, I didn't see..."

Then I looked up. And my heart, originally going into overdrive, suddenly stopped.

"Koko...!"

* * *

"Sumire..."

We both stared at each other. Her face was a mixture of shock and pain and love. I'm sure my face mirrored hers.

"What...are you...doing here...?" she asked, her eyes questioning. The conductor made an impatient noise behind her, and she stepped off of the train mindlessly. The door closed behind her.

"Your mom..." I couldn't believe it either. "She said...you'd gone missing...but..."

"I was coming here," she said. Her eyes were full of wonder and starting to fill with tears. "But...you knew?"

"No. I had no idea where you were." My arms were having a really hard time staying at my sides.

"Koko..." Sumire looked down at our shoes, inches apart from each other. "I realized...my mistake," she started. "Why I wasn't happy. What I was doing wrong. I'm glad I realized this sooner, because now I can change things." She looked up at me and my heart skipped several beats. "Koko...I..."

I reached my arms out and pulled her into my chest in a hug. She fit there easily, as if that's where she had belonged the whole time. She started sobbing.

"I'm so sorry," she sniffed. "I'm sorry for everything I ever did to you. I was wrong. Because...Koko..."

"I know." I hugged her tighter. "I love you too. More than I thought I did."

She wrapped her arms around my waist tightly. "Me too," she whispered. "Me too."

The train pulled off with a loud squeal and chugged away, taking every last one of our regrets with it.

* * *

_:3_

_Happy endings rock._

_And so do old ladies._

_Even I'm happy at the outcome (even though this is terribly short and to the point compared to the other two). Even MY heart was beating around the end. XD This is definitely the third and last installment of the "Of-such-and-such" series. Now we're back on schedule with the randomness. ;P I'm happy to be updating as much as I am. I never expected this series to get over 200 reviews o_o So thanks guys. x3_

_I don't really have anything else to say here...so review please? :) Dwell on the crappily phrased happy ending, if you wish._

_And, uhhh... Sumire and Koko lived happily ever after. THE END!_

_~Ariisha-chan_


	49. Rain's Allocution

**Title:** Rain's Allocution

**Inspiration:** My dad, who went to the hospital yesterday. Not for anything SUPER major [at least he came home], but he still had to. I really don't feel like typing the rest because it just hurts to think about, so I'm trying to forget about it. Arii-Bot ver. 2.011 commencing '_extreme worry_' mode.

**Dedication:** The people who can deal with this kinda stuff every day and still be strong. I suck at it. Horribly.

**Spotlight:** Mikan, Izumi, Yuka [hint of MxN]

**Genre:** Family/Angst (bit of Romance from MxN)

* * *

Normally at Alice Academy, a rainy day for Mikan Sakura would be spent sitting inside with her friends, keeping each other company. It would be spent chasing Hotaru around the school trying to hug her and bickering with Natsume and laughing with Ruka and getting scolded by Permy for being such a dimwit and joking around with Koko and Kitsu. They all were usually spent like that or even better. So innocent and child-like. Smiling. Bright. Happiness. _Love_.

These rainy days, however, were so much more different, so much lonelier. They were quiet, more reserved, and didn't let a bit of light in, not even a sliver. They were spent sitting alone, staring out the window into a landscape as bleak and empty as herself. They were spent hoping, wishing and dreaming for things that she very well knew were not going to be coming true—at least, not anytime soon.

Not even Mr. Bear could come and spend time with her, seeing as he couldn't go out in the rain and when he wasn't with her constantly, he was at his cabin. No one could go and fetch him, either, because protocol stated that all students had to remain inside to prevent illness, and Shiki and Kazu were always too busy, save for the precious few hours they had to help her with her studies and the like.

And of course, she would always wait for _him_, knowing that he didn't really give a damn about any protocol when it involved her, but he never appeared, even though she could constantly hear the whisper of his voice. She expected that, but nonetheless the growing silence would crush her anyways.

Night would fall and it would be even worse, her small body curled up on the enormous bed that could fit at least eight Mikans on it, the steady _pitter-patter_ of the rain on her window failing to lull her to sleep. It was those times that, despite her vow to keep a cheery outlook on life, she felt the lonliest, the emptiest.

It was those times that she would conjure a picture of her father, Izumi, in her mind, and begin to talk to him. That night she did the same.

"_Hi, Daddy,_" she murmured in her mind, already smiling back in response to his grinning face. "_I hope you're doing well. I miss you. It's raining right now. I'm doing okay—_" Mikan stopped in an instant at the stern look that quickly replaced his happy expression. "_—actually, I'm not. I'm really lonely and sad. I wish I could talk to my friends right now._"

Izumi leaned forward in concern, completely attentive.

"_It's just—there's no one here. Not even Mr. Bear. But I'm fine right now because I can talk to you. Is Mommy there?_" Suddenly Yuka popped out from behind Izumi and waved at her, her hair already grown back to its original length, flowing down her back.

"_Hi, Mommy. I miss you too. Are you doing okay?_" Yuka smiled at her and nodded, doing a little dance around Izumi before standing at his right again, beaming at her daughter. "_I'm glad. Everyone here's doing okay too. Shiki and Kazu are the same as always._" Izumi snickered at the mention of his brother and Yuka did what looked like a sigh.

"_The whole gang's doing good too. Hotaru and her brother get along well now. Nobara's still getting treatment, but I think she'll be all right. Basically everyone's just doing their normal thing._" Mikan frowned a little. "_Without me._"

Yuka mouthed something that looked like, _How's the pervert?_ Mikan swore the rain outside got a little bit harder.

"_Oh...you know. He's...getting by, I think. I've only seen him twice so far. He—he proposed to me, you know._" She blushed a bit as Yuka giggled and Izumi's face darkened considerably. "_Daddy, it's fine. I promise I won't let him do anything really bad. I _swear_,_" she insisted as Izumi's face darkened even more. Eager to drop the subject, she went on about her schedule, her studies (Izumi laughed), and current events at the Academy before she yawned and felt her eyes begin to close.

"_I'm starting to feel sleepy..._"

The light in her mind began to reside as her conscious faded away slowly. Izumi and Yuka smiled at each other before her eyes completely shut and she felt two warm hands on her face.

_Good night, Mikan._

And that was how she spent her rainy nights.

* * *

_There are always those moments when I regret some of the things I've done, and then there are the ones that make me wish I could go back in time and smack myself for being such a/n [insert noun that fits moment here] and just realize something for once._

_This is one of them. I can't even go five minutes without thinking about my dad._


	50. Promulgating

**Title:** Promulgating

**Inspiration:** The very kind reviews for chapter 49 :') I've completely gotten over it now, and my dad's fine! I meant to reply to all of them...I'm really sorry :( But I've been really busy what with school starting next week and everything. (And unfortunately I had [and still have] multiple doctor's appointments for a very mild incident I'd rather not say publicly. I've said it before: FML.)

**Dedication:** Reviewers of Drabble 49 (Idgaf that it was only four) and the people who make this stupid, ridiculously random series popular(?) by reviewing all the time!

**Spotlight:** Hotaru and Natsume (Not as a pairing. Cutting sounds much more appealing than that.)

**Genre:** Humor/Friendship (Whoops, some OOC hurrr~)

* * *

_"Okay, take a left, then a right. Watch out for security, and eventually you'll come to an electronically locked door—"_

"Yeah, yeah," Natsume scoffed into his earpiece, pushing his cat mask onto his forehead since there seemed to be no sign of life in the hallway he was treading down. He knew for certain that he would forget again and she'd have to repeat the directions for the umpteenth time, though he didn't admit this aloud. Natsume didn't have a bad memory and Hotaru knew it; they both just took the extra mission on what the agents dubbed as F.A. (_**F**ucking **A**wesome_) Friday, the starting day of R&R where all the agents got a chance to prepare for the following week, for brownie points. Literally and figuratively, because Friday was usually the day that Anna Umenomiya made brownies—rich, soft, purely chocolate ones made from scratch—and whoever did the most missions and/or improved the most during the week got as many as he or she wanted. And since this mission appeared to be urgent, it meant double.

Just _thinking_ about it—even though he wasn't a big fan of sweets and everyone knew that—made him lick his lips in anticipation.

_"Hyuuga, stop daydreaming and get a move on before you get caught. I will shamelessly eat your share of brownies and not give a damn."_ Hotaru's tone became businesslike again in a matter of seconds. _"What's your location?"_

Natsume resisted the urge to make a snarky remark and replied, "I'm coming up on a door...the door you mentioned earlier?"

_"Apparently. Alarms of any sort?"_

"Not yet..."

_"Good. At this rate,"_ Hotaru mused, _"you'll be done within the next thirty minutes. That is, if you don't screw up. You have a penchant for doing that, it seems."_

"And if I do, it'll obviously be your fault because you're trying to jinx me," he retorted. "I'm at the door. Are you going to attempt to open it, Gates?"

_"No, Spyro. I'm _going_ to open it."_ There were some clicking noises coming from her end. Natsume rolled his eyes and wished that the Z Agency wasn't so paranoid that they didn't allow those watches with the screens on them. One of those would really come in handy right now. _"Just wait a few minutes—"_

"I don't have time to wait." He pointed his hand at the door and took a step back, already feeling the heat building up in his palm.

_"Wait a second, you—" Whoosh..._

_BOOM!_

The door exploded into flaming metallic bits, instantly setting off a multitude of alarms. Natsume calmly walked through the rubble into a long corridor that had red lights flashing down at its end.

_"You..."_

"Idiot?" Natsume smirked, despite the impending onslaught of madness he felt was about to begin.

_"Next time I'm setting Amane up with you."_

"He can barely use technology—"

_"I. Don't. Care. You're an idiot beyond the limits of how far idiocy should go."_

He rolled his eyes again. "So what am I supposed to do now?" More clicking noises. After awhile she replied, _"Do you need me to tell you how to do everything? Go find the agent. She's in one of the cells in that corridor."_

Natsume lifted an eyebrow. "_She_?"

_"Don't be sexist,"_ Hotaru snorted. _"Yes, she. The agent is female. There are agents of both genders at HQ, you know."_

Well, that shone a whole new light on things.

_"Untie her and then escape with her. And hurry up, because security's on their way. If they see you, I doubt you'll be able to get away—the way you want to—without leaving the agent. Long explanation short, you're a goner."_

"Like I didn't know that. Thanks for the extra pressure." Natsume peered into the first cell. Empty. "I should have begged to be partnered up with someone else."

He could practically hear the smirk in her voice when she replied, _"And I would have enjoyed it."_

* * *

Finding the girl was much easier than he thought because her screeching—muffled by the gag in her mouth, but still loud enough to hear—lead him right to her. Natsume wasted no time in tossing the girl over his shoulder like a sack of rice without even bothering to look at her face, earning himself an indignant squeal and a nice view of her underwear. _Yuck._

What kind of agent wore a pink skirt anyways? The dress code for the field agents was 'to dress in what's black and easy to move in'.

_"I'm guessing from the muffled screaming that you've found her,"_ Hotaru drawled sarcastically. _"Took you long enough."_

"It's only been about ten seconds, but I keep forgetting that you can't count that high."

_"Why is she screaming, anyways?"_ Hotaru ignored the insult. _"Or does she sense your perverted, pedophilic aura? Bless her."_

Natsume was about to retort when he heard the sound of multiple pairs of heavy combat boots on the floor below him, quickly thundering up the emergency staircase—the only other exit, since there were no windows in any of the cells.

And to add to that, clicking and fading noises were coming from Hotaru's end of the mic. _"...Don't know what...doing,"_ she said in a strained voice. _"Seems...cutting off the signal. Where...you?"_

"Huh? I might be near the top floor." Natsume ducked into one of the empty cells, pinching the girl on her side when she started kicking him in his stomach. "Why? What's going on?"

_"Must...some sort...advanced technology. What—" Crack._ The signal cut off completely at the same time that the emergency staircase door burst open.

_Shit._

* * *

"Dammit." Hotaru threw the headset down on the table and scowled.

"What is it?" Yuu Tobita, another one of the techs sitting at one of the computers behind her, turned around, pushing his glasses up. "Did something happen?"

"Those assholes jammed the signal. I lost him." Hotaru keyed in a few things on her laptop and stood up, glaring down at the headset.

"Oh no. Should we tell Mr. Boss? Ask him to request a send-in of backup agents to get him?" Yuu scratched his head. "Or should we just wait?"

"We should wait. He may be an idiot, but I don't think he's _that_ much of an idiot." Hotaru handed Yuu the headset. "Tell me if you hear anything, and if he's not back by midnight we'll tell Mr. Boss and ask him for permission to send backup." She pointed to a heart monitor mounted on the wall near him with _Hyuuga Natsume_ written on the screen. "If everything flatlines, send out the alarm."

"Okay." Yuu turned back to the screen he was working on. "What should we tell Mr. Boss if he asks why we didn't call in earlier?"

"Easy. We lie." Hotaru turned and stormed out of the room, muttering, "This had better be worth it or _else_..."

* * *

"Boss."

Kuonji turned to his assistant, who was bowing. "What."

"He's returned. With the girl, unharmed."

"Finally...what took him so long!"

"Er, _about that_..."

* * *

"She was Kuonji's '_lover_'?"

Hotaru nodded mutely, pursing her lips.

"And I saw her _underwear_?"

Another nod.

"And she _supposedly_ does this on a regular basis when she thinks that she's not getting enough 'attention' from him?"

Hotaru wrinkled her nose in reply.

"So I'm supposed to believe that I jumped from a twelve-story building and almost got _killed_ because Kuonji takes a liking to Koizumi—our _classmate_, of all people—who's at least ten years younger than him, if not _more_—"

"Shut up, Spyro. Just..._don't_."

* * *

_And WHY, you are probably wondering, did I write this?_

_Because...I suddenly had more appreciation for their very strange version of friendship. YES IT'S FRIENDSHIP. IDGAF WHAT ANYONE SAYS BECAUSE IT IS. Although I know this didn't make much sense and was pretty pointless because I'm getting rusty xD Not that I care..._

_Err, in other news, I'll have a week's hiatus (many people might already know this) because my computer's getting fixed. It's got like a gazillion viruses and my dad's getting me a new harddrive, so it's getting wiped T_T Boo._

_Ten more chapters! :D Yeah, I know. I finally decided. But another drabble series (with ACTUAL drabbles) with 100 chapters is coming right after this, so...yeah. I know. I suck xD_

_Gah this author's note is long :S I didn't want it to be. So I'll stfu._

_Review? :) And for this review, I just want to make a teeny request...your favorite song[s] :) It's not random, don't worry. It's related to the new drabble series. So, please? And thank you :}_

_~Ariisha-chan_


	51. Impersonating A Freefall

**Title:** Impersonating A Freefall

**Inspiration:** Random...but I get this really nice feeling when I look at some of the stories on FFN and how they turn side characters into epic people :DD It's cool when side characters are thrown into a new perspective.

**Dedication:** A spider that decided to just swing down in front of my screen, and now I can't concentrate 'cause I'm afraid that I'll see it again. Thank you, you sunnovabitch arachnid. *cough* ...Sorry.

**Spotlight:** Kitsuneme

**Genre:** Angst

* * *

Kitsu always believed that one day, he'd be able to _really_ fly.

Not flying to see new places. Flying to escape the bullshit. And not flying with his Alice either. He believed that he'd just jump off of a rooftop, and he'd fly for real. Without any wings or anything to help him. He'd just float, and not feel like he was being weighed down with rocks. A stupid stone shouldn't enable him to fly...but it did.

Sometimes he wished that it didn't.

People called him lucky, and said that they wished they had his Alice. He thought they were nuts. What good could flying do for anyone? It wasn't an offensive Alice. It couldn't protect anyone, couldn't save anyone, and only benefited himself. Maybe if it was coupled with another actually useful Alice he wouldn't feel like this. But it was only flying. A source of self-satisfaction.

And even then he had limits. If he could just zoom off into the atmosphere and disappear, _that_ would be something. Yet once again, he couldn't. Just another thing to add to the long list of other things he couldn't do.

And sometimes, when he didn't want to think anymore, didn't want to care anymore, he just flew into the air as high as his body allowed him to and drifted. But it didn't bring him any relief, because the higher he flew, the farther he felt like he was falling.

It was in that way that he was impersonating a freefall.

* * *

_...It's late, I got bored and I haven't written angst in awhile. And now I'm gonna run because 1. I'm tired and 2. I still haven't found that spider. Yeah._

_Oh and by the way, I hand out cookies for reviews. The good kind :D_

_9 more chapters!_

_~Ariisha-chan_


	52. Golden Boy

**Title:** Golden Boy

**Inspiration:** Sunshine, laughter, and pepper-steak stir-fry :) (The last one has absolutely nothing to do with this drabble. It's just what I'm having for dinner.)

**Dedication:** I'm back, guys. Thanks for waiting. Also a late as hell birthday present for foxtrotelly and a gift to everyone who sent me birthday wishes :) Yeeeeah!

**Spotlight:** Koko and Class B

**Genre:** Friendship

* * *

"Kokoro"—the first part of Koko's name—means "heart".

Koko is definitely a guy with a heart of gold.

Even if it doesn't have the purest intentions, it's one of the things that forms Class B in its entirety. He's their reason for laughter, for joking, for having fun. Pair him with Kitsuneme and you'll definitely hear the chortles echoing down the halls.

He's the one who can make people laugh until tears are flooding out of their eyes and they nearly go into cardiac arrest, who can make even Natsume crack a smile, who can turn a dull day into a bright one. He's the one who will make you laugh if you're crying, and will only make you feel worse if he's saying why you should be glad a situation turned out the way it did—

"At least you're not dead!"

"At least you didn't get your Alice stolen!"

"At least you're still in one piece!"

—instead of another way.

Koko may not be the brightest guy in the world, but he doesn't need to be.

With his good humor, jokes, and constant smile, he'll light up a room in seconds.

Class B's very own source of happiness.

* * *

_Who the hell is "Golden Boy"? I've heard it somewhere before...I know what Golden _Week_ is, but..._

_Anyways, I've sort of lost my touch and maaay have exaggerated with Koko's importance a bit :D And, okay, I know that Koko's name actually means "mind-reader" or something, but c'mon. Give me a little credit here._

_And somehow I always end up mentioning Natsume.  
_

_(I almost wrote "stress reliever" for the last line, but decided it had a double meaning...)_

_Thanks for reading and remember, Arii loves you :D_

_~Ariisha-chan_


	53. Crypticism

**Title:** Crypticism

**Inspiration:** ...I don't even know. I just wanted to write something typical and dumb.

**Dedication:** **76 Factorial**. Can I just say that I was completely stunned when I checked my email and found dozens of reviews for this series, and I got this big dumb smile on my face as I read through them. Thank you for the wonderful words (and the motivation that stemmed from them)!

**Spotlight:** Mikan and Natsume

**Genre:** Romance/Humor (?)

* * *

"Polka."

Mikan walks even faster, puffing her cheeks out and clenching her fists.

"Polka, stop ignoring me."

Damn, he's good. She whirls around and almost jumps when she realizes how closely he was tailing her from the fact that their noses are almost touching. Well, that _is_ pretty understandable because he _is_ on the track team and...

_Shit!_

"NO," she says, sticking a finger in his face. The phrase is mostly a command to herself, but she tries to look as confident and angry as possible when she says it.

"...Polka, I have no idea what I did, but - "

She scowls at him and turns around again, stomping off before he can finish his sentence.

"Polka." He catches up with her easily, but she continues her brisk march, pulling her scarf over her nose. It's way too cold for this, she thinks in irritation. "Quit walking away when I'm trying to apologize."

"Stop following me then!" she yells back without looking at him. "Go away! You're getting on my nerves!"

"_I'm_ getting on your nerves?" He grabs her arm and she pulls away from him, speeding up slightly. She doesn't even know where she's going anymore, because now she's wondering how their relationship got to this point. It seems like nowadays someone is always angry between them - whether or not it's because of something the other person has done. But it usually is. And it usually plays out like this.

And god_damn_, is she at the end of her rope.

"Polka, cut it out."

"You cut it out, idiot!"

"Polka, I'm serious."

"If you were serious then you wouldn't keep calling me Polka, idiot!"

"Stop calling me an idiot, Polka." Damn Hyuuga Natsume and damn his ability to always keep his cool, even when she can't.

"Stop calling me an idiot, Polka," she mimics in a high-pitched voice, and she can hear him sigh exasperatedly behind her. Good, the obnoxious side of her thinks snidely, while the other side just feels guilty.

Damn his ability to always make her feel like she's wrong.

"Okay then. Mikan, can you please at least tell me why you're mad?" Wow. He said please. Natsume actually said please. And he used her name. Still, she refuses to speak. He knows exactly what he did.

"Mikan." He grabs her arm again, this time much tighter than before. "I told you to quit ignoring me." The way he says it - like she's a child who needs to be reprimanded - pisses her off way more than it should.

"Stop talking to me like you're my father!" she shouts at him and, in a burst of renewed hatred, breaks into a run, but is stopped a few feet later when she trips over a rock and lands face-first in the snow.

"Shit!" she screeches, propping herself up on her elbows and spitting out a mouthful of snow. Tears spring to her eyes immediately, but she refuses to let them fall.

Damn the fact that she's such a crybaby.

A shadow appears next to her and she looks up. Natsume is standing with his hand outstretched, and as much as she'd like to stand up with a dramatic flourish and flip him off, she knows she probably wouldn't because her anger at him pretty much diminished and is more towards herself now.

Plus, her knees _really_ hurt.

So Mikan takes his hand without looking at him and he effortlessly pulls her to her feet. Once she's fully upright, he makes sure to keep a firm grip on her hand - not that she had planned to keep going, anyways.

"There's snot all over your face. Classy as always, Polka."

On second thought...

"You think?" she spits, then starts when he pulls a tissue out of his pocket and presses it against her face.

"Wipe. I can't talk seriously to snot-faced girls."

Glaring at him, she halfheartedly snatches the tissue away with her free hand and attempts to blow her nose. Except she can't because her eyes and throat are burning and her vision is getting all blurry and her chest feels like it's collapsing in on itself and -

Against her will, she sniffs loudly and covers her face, and Natsume sighs.

"Mikan..."

"Dmphf trpmh mff lmth a bmphy." ("Don't treat me like a baby.")

"...You still haven't told me why you're mad at me," he says, and he sounds just as calm as always which makes her want to get angry all over again but she's too tired and instead just feels plain bad. "When I said that I had no idea what I did, I wasn't being sarcastic, Polka."

Somehow Mikan finds herself laughing, and she moves her hand to find crimson eyes staring fixedly at her, never shifting. Damn his ability to make it feel like he's staring into the depths of your soul.

"For once you don't know something?" she croaks as the tears finally fall. She tries to wipe them away just as quickly, but it doesn't work and she gives up after her hand becomes completely wet.

"You completely and utterly missed the point."

"..." She swallows the retort on her tongue and takes a deep breath. "...I saw you..."

He waits, eyebrow raised.

"...At the movies! And you were walking into the theater of that movie I told you I really wanted to see! And you were with _Luna_, of all people!"

If it were any other occasion, Mikan would have snapped a picture of his expression.

"...What?"

"You _know_ I can't stand Luna ever since she dipped my pigtails in bleach during Chemistry when I wasn't paying attention and the ends turned blonde! And the department store didn't have my shade so ever since the ends of my hair have been a little darker than my actual hair! Why would you go to a movie with her!? If you hate me that much, you could just tell me instead of cheating on me!"

For a few seconds he's silent, staring at her. Then his shoulders jerk up once, twice, and it takes her a moment or so to realize that he's laughing.

The bastard. Is _laughing_.

She can only stare in speechless rage as his laughter finally dies down enough for him to speak through a few chuckles. "Mikan, do you need to see an eye doctor?"

"_Myvisionis20/20youidiot!_" she hisses.

This only makes him start laughing all over again. Damn the fact that his laughter - in a situation like this - makes her feel like a complete dunce.

"It's not funny!" she finally yells. His laughter stops abruptly and she cringes as he stares at her.

"It is. Because that wasn't Luna. That was my sister."

_...Huh?_

"B-but...but..." Mikan sputters. "How...you're lying! Aoi's hair doesn't look anything like that!"

"She's been trying to grow her hair out." Natsume shakes his head. "You were the one who convinced her to do it in the first place. She talked to you about it for hours. Did you forget that quickly, or were you just not listening at all?"

"I _was_ listening! I just..." Reflexively she turns her head out of embarrassment. "The theater is dark, you know," she finishes lamely. She already felt stupid before, and now she feels like a complete and utter idiot.

She jumps when his hand suddenly brushes her face and realizes he's wiping away the remains of her tears. There's a sincere look on his face, but as his hand hovers over her cheek, it quickly turns into a smirk.

"I think you owe me an apology," he says. Mikan scowls at him and pushes his hand away.

Damn the fact that he's usually right.

* * *

_*wipes dust off of drabble series*_

_I actually finished this yesterday but FFN was being a douche and not letting me upload it. And at first I was going to make it a separate story, but it bugged me that I haven't updated Operation: LIFE in awhile (read: forever), so I thought...why not. Doesn't it always end up like that, though?_

_Basically Mikan got mad because of a misunderstanding and overdramatized it...as expected. This was written on a whim so it's pretty much crap.  
_

_Random notice: I plan on changing my penname because "Ariisha-chan" seems a bit childish now. I'll probably only shorten it to "Ariisha" or "Arii", though..._

_Anyways, thanks for reading, everyone!_

_~Ariisha-chan_


End file.
